ONE TEAM, which has always been in the news throughout the entire world cup, whether it’s their fighting spirit against India chasing a massive 338 runs or their loss against two minnows of the group co-host Bangladesh and unpredictable Ireland, England has managed to grab eyeballs whether they won or lost a match.
Whatever they did - win or lose- they did it in style.
The manner in which England won against favorites South Africa by a close margin showed why one-day cricket still has a long way to go and can offer a lot to cricket fans. The close matches and time available for the teams and players to decide the strategy is unlike the Twenty-Twenty cricket, where once the flow is decided nothing much can change.
In the quarterfinals, however, England met their match and they were defeated by 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka, any day, at home, was a better team compared to England but it was expected that England will give the opposition a run for their money. But the English team really looked tired and jaded and perhaps it was time for the boys to go home to the cool environs of the British islands.
On a slow Colombo track, England managed just 229 runs in their quota of 50 overs, a task which was not going to be tough for the in-form Sri Lankan openers.
The hosts chased the target with 10 wickets in hand, dishing out a thumping defeat to the English team.
Although England played quite well in the league stage but it seems that the team ran out of ammunition to test tough opponents and make it to the final of the world cup.
Also, one must not forget that the English team came into the World Cup after an extremely competitive showing Down Under where after a tough test series they defeated the Aussies after many years. At the same time, the English started losing momentum soon after the test win. In the one-day series they lost heavily to the Aussies.
Read More On >> India Vs Pakistan, Cricket World Cup 2011
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