Crick fans who are not English rarely needed an excuse to make fun of England. Therefore, it is a shame that they are being given such a rich material to work.
The last exhibition for the Prosecutor's Office was an interview with the BBC of Liam Livingstone after Australia had scored 356 by five in Lahore, the highest score was the second batting to beat England. Nor was it close: thanks to the undefeated 120 of Josh Inglis of 86 balls, the persecution was complete with five wickts and 15 balls left over.
Even when it takes into account the dew that can help the team to hit in second place in international one day enlightened in Asia, this was a humiliation. And the absence of the three great sailors of Australia worsened: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. This was a golden opportunity for a high profile victory, and England exploded it.
Now they have lost their last five internationals of a day, 10 of their last 13 and 16 of their last 22. In any way that cuts it, they are having a stinky. At the beginning of 2027, only the first eight in the ranking (excluding the hosts) will qualify for the World Cup of that year in southern Africa, and Jos Buttler's team is currently seventh. The strangest things have happened.
You might think that now it was the time for a frank self -assessment, not only behind closed doors, but also in public, so that England fans can be reassured in their team are not losing contact with reality.
Instead, Livingstone sounded almost harmed by Australia's refusal to collapse in a pile after 136 for four, a position from which this side of England would probably have decreased to 228.
England exploded a golden opportunity to ensure a high profile victory when they were beaten by Australia
The undefeated Josh Ingis inspired Australia to victory as they humiliated his arch
Liam Livingstone's interview with the BBC after the party only fed the critics of England
“We did a lot of good,” he said. 'Personally, I don't think the performance deserves to lose. There were a couple of moments in the game that we probably lost. But I felt we were ahead of the game.
Livingstone's next sentence suggested that the penny was about to fall, but it never happened: 'At the end of the day, if you leave on the wrong side of the result …'
Now, the psychology of international athletes can be something fragile: above all, trust must remain intact, internal dialogue maintained under control. But there is a thin line between telling you the strange white lie here and there, and the absolute deception.
Because if your opponents eliminate more than 350 with plenty of space, it is not very useful to suggest that the defeat does not deserve. And while being ahead of the game is useful, it usually makes no sense if you are not ahead of the game at its conclusion.
Livingstone's comments continue to the suggestion of Ben Duckett, during the discouraging tour of the white ball of England through India, that they did not worry if they lost the Odi 3-0 series, “as long as we defeated them in the final of the Champions Trophy “.
England achieved the first part of that equation, and now you need to win four games of four in Pakistan and the EAU to mark the second, despite Duckett's brilliant 165 against the Australians.
In the current way, that seems unlikely. Overcoming Afghanistan in Lahore tomorrow will be difficult enough: the Afghan hammers them less than 18 months ago in the 50th World Cup in Delhi, and have the type of rotating attack that defrosts England regularly.
Clearly, the tone of the English pronouncements has changed since Brendon McCullum took over the spring of 2022. And while the test team regularly pursued great objectives that year, its apparently approach to the devil seemed part of the fun.
Jos Buttler's team now needs to win the four games in Pakistan to claim the Champions Trophy
The Bazball approach can start to grate, especially when the results are serious, as they have been for England lately
Even when McCullum himself suggested that '3-2 has a good ring' after England had gone 2-0 in the ashes in Lord's, it was still possible to enjoy the audacity, gasp in Chutzpah.
But critics were waiting to jump, and they were not all from abroad. When Harry Brook answered the questions about England's layoffs during the Odi series at home against Australia in September, suggesting that he did not care if they were trapped in the garden, there was discomfort in social networks among local fans.
It is fair to point out that Brook did not say that England did not care: he was saying that it was not worse to be caught in the deep than being caught anywhere else. And he was right.
Part of the Bazball Schtick is that players are already under enough pressure. If they want to express themselves freely both inside and outside the field, so it is, as long as they always play with their strengths.
However, he is a person who can begin to grate, especially if the results are directed south. Fans want humility in the midst of self -hoot and hard nose pragmatism to dilute the dream ideals. They want evidence that their favorite players know how to solve a problem, does not show that their fingers are being put in their ears. They want a team, not a clique. And they certainly don't want a cult.
England has not yet been of those depths, despite what some say. But it must disconnect them with the ease with which the mud has begun to stick. When Ravi Shastri suggested live on television that they had undergone a single training session during his tour of India, he stole the headlines. The truth, that his six sessions were just one less than India, barely had a look.
England has always had higher standards, partly for historical reasons, partly because they often seem to get involved in the spirit of Crick's debates that irritate the rest of the world.
But that is why their public statements must be a bit more mundane. Because if they transmit the impression that they are out of contact, they can expect little sympathy of even their supporters.
England should disconnect how easily the mud has begun to stay, even if they have not yet reached its low point
The greatest rivalry? Not even close …
Netflix recently launched the best rivalry: India vs Pakistan, in which ex-pricing on both sides aligned to repeat the message of the movie title.
It was something nice: convincing, colorful and occasionally random, mainly when Shoaib Akhtar was on the screen.
But the easy defeat of Pakistan India in the Champions Trophy game on Sunday in Dubai was a reminder that the title does not feel good.
On the one hand, teams have not played a test since December 2007, a year before terrorist attacks against Mumbai almost ended bilateral relations. For another, rivalry now exists in a mainly theoretical sense.
From that most recent test, Pakistan has won only 10 of the 33 games (white ball) between the sides. Sunday's game was as predictable as unilateral, insurmountable even for a hundred kohli virat.
As for the true 'rivalry' of Cricket, we witness it at the beginning of winter. Ashes can have the story, but Australia V India is now the pinnacle.
India's victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy was as predictable as unilateral
The two -level fears of the hundred
If the seven host counties (plus MCC) are likely to win more long term than the 11 non -host counties, is there the risk of a two -level system within the tournament itself?
After the amazing auction that valued the teams not far from £ 1 billion, four of the eight franchises now have investors connected to the IPL.
Players are expected to be signed accordingly, potentially leaving teams such as Birmingham Phoenix (where Knighthead capital, owners of the Birmingham City FC, have a 49%participation) and Trent Rockets (Todd Boehly's Cain International, 49%) to fight for what Let it be.
India enjoy Lucky Run – Again
Oh that anyone who dares suggests that India, once again, has received a competitive advantage to be able to play all her Champions Trophy games in Dubai. They will simply shout your Twitter troll army. But it doesn't make it less true.