During the current ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, England standout all-rounder Ben Stokes expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance thus far.
A disappointing World Cup campaign, according to Stokes, “nothing’s worked” for the reigning champions. The Jos Buttler-led team is now languishing at the bottom of the points table after losing five of their last six games. They will play their seventh match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 4th, Saturday, against the five-time champions, Australia.
“We’ve been awful, and I believe that’s the issue. We have been terrible, to be honest. Throughout this World Cup, we’ve tried everything—trying to absorb the pressure in a different way that we know we’ve done successfully previously, or trying to throw pressure back on the opponent in a way that we know works—but it hasn’t worked, according to Stokes, who was cited by TOI.
In every game they have played thus far, England has tried to dominate, but their opponents have outperformed them, according to Ben Stokes.
Every chance we’ve had to seize the initiative and control the game, the opponent has been able to turn the tide in their favor. And we’ve just been unable to assemble a whole game,” he continued.
It’s not worth sugarcoating the fact that our World Cup was a complete disaster: Ben Stokes
Speaking about the explosive game against the Pat Cummins-led team, the 32-year-old continued, saying it will be a “big occasion.” He added that while he could not downplay England’s disastrous campaign, they will try to finish it on a high note. Following the match against Australia, the team led by Matthew Mott will play Pakistan and the Netherlands.
Every time England and Australia compete against one another in a sport, it’s a momentous occasion. There’s no need to sugarcoat the fact that our World Cup was a complete disaster—that much is clear. However, we are aware that we have a lot to gain from these final three games. We view every opportunity to come onto the field as a very unique occasion, and I believe that pride in what it means to wear the three lions on your chest is the biggest thing we have to play for, the all-round player said.