Time to bid ‘adios’ to:
Michael Vaughan - just not cutting it in the one dayers
Ian Bell - don’t understand why he is still there, only ever bats well with Peterson and is not on form
Mahmood - just not ready
Anderson - what’s all the fuss about?

Would like to see Broad,Cook and, of course, Trescothik back. Oh and captain has got to be Collingwood.Basically, I would love to see some players who will just ‘go for it’ who have confidence in their own abilities.

With the exception of the Aussie one-day series, this English cricket team have been consistently producing the sort of performances I grew up to expect. Today was a classic England performance, and the cherry on the top of a few months which have marked a reassuring return to form, after all the unsettling commotion of 2005.

Changes? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

I agree that Mahmood shouldn’t be there. He seems to be very wasteful in his bowling, fielding and batting. Every single run should be valued and he just seems too casual. Plunkett should have been given more of a chance as he would have strengthened the lower order.

Rafay
You have a funny definition of “good”. If England are such a “good” team, why do they lose so much? They think they are “due” wins, not that they earn them. You only have to read what Will, Atherton and others were saying in the lead up to this match, about hoping England getting to the semis by luck. England’s whole psychology is built around this notion - “it’s our turn for a bit of luck”, “wer’e due a win”, or “we’ll win the 2009 Ashes because Australia are going downhill” Not becuase England are going to play better.

It’s your attitude that’s the problem, not the individual players, or manager, or selectors. Put some of these players in the team of a country with a tougher attitude and watch the diiference in performance level. You English love to point your finger at Australia and say “arrogant complacency” but you experts in it.

Steve - I disagree - England have good players - but I agree that they are a crap team! I have no idea what they thought they were doing in this world cup. Ireland played positively and above themselves, everyone else seems to have put up a fight. We are under no illusions, England were awful.

So what can we do? Well drop Vaughan, collingwood for captain. Bring in some positive batting, none of this push it round for ten overs and hope for the best. The only time we looked like we were up for a game was against Sri Lanka, and even then half the players didn’t really look like they were up for it. I agree that Mahmood should go too - just too inconsistant - how many extras is he giving away.

Basically - no excuses. England were BAD. They were embarrassing and gutless. If they don’t improve then BIG questions need to be asked!

It’s a shame Vaughan went out when he did- after surviving that opening spell he was starting to look very good. He could have gone on to get a fifty+ score at that stage. At any rate, anyone who booed him at the post-match ceremony should be ashamed of themselves. There’s no call for that kind of behaviour ever.

I’m surprised they didn’t have Strauss opening. Everyone keeps banging on about how England’s starts are too slow, they don’t have any quick-scoring openers, etc. But Strauss’s strike rate is 76, which is higher than Sangakara’s, equal with Mark Waugh’s (one of the greatest openers in history) and just shy of Ponting and Hayden. All this talk of “they need Pietersen to open or else” is rubbish.

Steve et al,
I’m not English. In fact I’m not even an English fan. I’m a Pakistan supporter living in New Jersey. Most of all I’m a fan of cricket and I’d like to see England do well because it’d be great for the game. I’m tired of Australia’s dominance but it is a testament to their hard work ethic that has brought them such success. For them it isn’t just improving marginally, it’s about “perfect practice in every aspect of the game makes perfect.”

You don’t have to be a former player, commentator, or drunk rasta to know what the hell is wrong with English cricket. I back your thoughts on the “it’s our turn for a bit of luck” attitude. That just doesn’t work. Banking on the supernatural only gets you as far as…well we won’t get into that.

Pakistan is in a similar situation, if not more devastating, the difference is Pakistan has a chance to start anew. The vicious cycle of failing and firing must end. When this happens there is no room for correcting mistakes because those that recognized the mistakes resign immediately and it goes on from there. With England, it is more mental for the players, lack of inspiration from team leaders, and shoddy managerial decisions that are devastating English cricket. Maybe they should take their contracted cricketers out for a “mini boot-camp” like the Australians to foster some hard working ethic?

Steve and Rafay have nailed it. Thank God the Poms didn’t stumble into the semis. Had they done so, it would have been more of a testament to the inadequacy of most of the rest of the field than anything else: Windies, India and Pakistan all indifferent and unprofessional. Zim and Bangladesh shouldn’t have even been there - nor Ireland. Ireland have been entertaining, but no match for the top sides. Bangladesh, too, were entertaining but few seem to have realised that their upsets only come when the better sides are in turmoil, or dangerously complacent - they are certainly a better one day side than Test, but aren’t ready yet. They win when they have their very best day, and their opponents have their very worst. That’s fine, but the best sides can take it to evenly matched oppostion.
All in all, this tournament has been a joke - the Champions Trophy was bad, this has been much worse. This far in, I’m struggling to care who wins.
Where’s Kathy? I await with baited breat her simpering excuses and defence of the indefencible. I’m sure she’ll find a silver lining somewhere. At least now she can just back the one side - I assume she’ll just be a Kiwi for the rest of the WC. It’s a pity her national side sometimes comes second for her, but like most South Islanders, she really does want to be a Pom when she grows up. That schizophrenia must be hard work.

I had actually predicted in my cricket astrologer blog that the England cricket team could win the cricket World cup in the West Indies.

The joke is obviously on me -Trust the England cricket team to prove me wrong!

Actually, I still think that this England cricket team is one of the best one day international cricket teams England has ever produced. Very few cricket teams have regular players like Flintoff,Collingwood and Pieterson who are ideal for one day international cricket.

I know this sounds pretty contrarian, but I believe that a few tweaks in the England cricket team and some positive attitude (maybe a change in the captain and coach) could do wonders for the England cricket team’s results

Collingwood is tempting for captain, as others have noted, but does anyone know if he actually wants it?

Also, would he be Test captain too? I just can’t see the sense in splitting it.

Also reckon Fred needs a compulsory three months away from the game to get his head back together.

First up, I’m English and an England supporter (I went to Aus in ‘95 when we had Steve Rhodes and Chris Lewis in the team - you can’t get more devoted than that!!)

I’m gutted England are out, but it would have been a travesty had they got into the semis. They have played some of the most uninspiring cricket I have ever seen. With a good old Irish name like Murphy, I’m not totally despondant though!

The England team are high quality players (just look at how they play in Tests - apart from this winter obviously!). But it’s very obvious that they have no individual or collective strategy(ies) when they play 1-dayers.

The first two overs of yesterday’s game were maidens for God’s sake!!! All of the recent WC successes have been built on getting a rapid start (notably SL and Aus). Why are we still batting like it’s the 1970s?

It’s difficult to say whether these really are the best players we have as most of them seem completely out of form (Monty and Ravi did well tho). So what’s the way forward? Drop the lot of them and bring in a new squad of 16? I can’t see that working myself. In my view it’s the team management that needs an overhaul. We need a coach who can bring in new strategies/concepts and a captain who (i) is worth his place in the side and (ii) will give his charges a rollocking if they take it easy. I doubt whether Punter or Smith would be so resigned as Vaughan was last night.

It’s obvious from the players’ body language on the field that they have no confidence in their own abilities or how to change their “luck” (particeularly Freddie). Luck just doesn’t happen, you have to earn it!.

I just hope all the players now go and get some decent match practice with their counties before the next round of internationals start (what’s the betting they are told to “rest”?)

Most people here, even Aggers, seem to back Collingwood for captain - though Mark Nicholas and Angus Fraser go the Strauss way - what do you guys think?

And I think perhaps the most important failure of the England ODI team is their complete lack of belief and faith in ODIs as a format. the England team seem to have no interest whatsoever in ODIs (maybe apart from KP and Colly), but the rest of them seem to hate the shorter format. Their GAMEPLAN is a test plan! England clearly look down on ODIs - but while Australia and Ponting look down on 20/20, they’re certainly getting the hang of it very well.

I say take Ian Bell out - I’m a big fan of his, but he can’t seem to play ODIs. Tony Greig accused him yesterday of being too soft, that he probably goes home after a miserable game to cry - a bit harsh on poor Bell, but not entirely inaccurate, perhaps?

in ODIs you need two massively strong openers - Gilly and Hayden, De Villiers and “muppet” Smith, Tharanga and Jayasuriya. Having two meek little openers (I think Mark Nicholas described Bell and Vaughan as “chalk and chalk”) just isn’t what you need in an ODI.