Thanks Dan, an interesting and insightful read. For me, I see England's recent white ball performances as a consequence of the approach England are taking in all formats (I'm trying not to use the 'B' moniker). If it reminds me of anything in sport, it's of 80s and 90s Wimbledon and their Crazy Gang antics, which gave a pretty limited squad talent-wise a punchers chance against better sets of players. I agree that the players England have - in all formats - deserve better than this as they are much more talented than that, and ultimately it's going to deliver consistently less - with moments of high drama that proponents will dine out on. I also fear there's now a premium on being 'one of us' in the dressing room to the detriment of good players not getting a fair shot, and that's just as damaging and self-defeating as the old 'looks good in a blazer' approach that it took England far too long to shake off.
Thanks Dan, an interesting and insightful read. For me, I see England's recent white ball performances as a consequence of the approach England are taking in all formats (I'm trying not to use the 'B' moniker). If it reminds me of anything in sport, it's of 80s and 90s Wimbledon and their Crazy Gang antics, which gave a pretty limited squad talent-wise a punchers chance against better sets of players. I agree that the players England have - in all formats - deserve better than this as they are much more talented than that, and ultimately it's going to deliver consistently less - with moments of high drama that proponents will dine out on. I also fear there's now a premium on being 'one of us' in the dressing room to the detriment of good players not getting a fair shot, and that's just as damaging and self-defeating as the old 'looks good in a blazer' approach that it took England far too long to shake off.