England will want to push for a place in the top eight in the World Cup
(REUTERS)
England have already crashed out of the Cricket World Cup, which was sealed by the 33-run defeat to Australia, but will want to restore pride against the Netherlands.
For England, the defence of their title could not have gone any worse, but there is still something to play for, with only the top eight in the standings qualifying for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
Even that will not be straightforward, such has been England’s form that they sit rooted to the foot of the table, with the fewest points and a lower net-run rate than any other team.
There will be plenty of time after the tournament for a full analysis of how England’s title defence could go so disastrously wrong with very few warning signs before the squad departed for India, but for now there is a small chance to at least move off the bottom of the table, and two matches left against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
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England vs Netherlands
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog for England vs Netherlands.
At the start of the tournament it seemed like an easy fixture for the defending champions against an associate nation, but Jos Buttler’s team’s failure to perform, and at times spectacularly implode, means there could be more twists and turns to come.
It will be interesting to see if England make any changes, as there have been calls from some areas of the media to change things up and allow Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson a chance to impress, as the two younger members of the squad.
Sonia Twigg8 November 2023 07:30