Midway through its ODI World Cup match against India in Lucknow on Sunday, England knew it had more than half a chance after it pinned down the home side to 229.
But any hopes of a revival were quickly snuffed out by an efficient Indian bowling unit
England coach Mathew Mott, too, felt that a win was in sight after the way his team started off.
“I was really pleased at the halfway mark. I thought it was definitely our best bowling and fielding effort. And we went out to bat with a lot of positivity. But anytime you lose four for 10, you put yourself under pressure and it unravelled again from there,” said Mott after the game.
This was England’s fifth defeat in six games and with it, its hopes of defending the title it won at home in 2019 have all but ended, sparking rumours of a fractured dressing room.
“I think anyone that’s inside our tent at the moment would say that despite our results, we’re an incredibly tight-knit unit,” said Mott.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who top-scored for the side, opined that the pitch had nothing to do with the heavy defeat. “It was a difficult pitch. It was spinning a fair bit. I think it came on nicely for the seamers too. It got dewy too in the second innings. I don’t think it was a horrendous pitch. Ultimately, we fell short,” he said.
