England vs South Africa, World Cup 2023: Jos Buttler and Co completely outplayed as semi-final hopes slip away

Just four matches into the tournament, England have found themselves at the wrong end of the 2023 World Cup points table. And their 229-run defeat to South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday certainly does not help their case. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Jos Buttler and Co were picked to be one of the tournament favourites before it all began, but less than halfway into the group stage, it seems as though the defending champions are losing steam, and running out of ideas.

So, where did England lose this game? And how will this impact England’s semi-final chances? Let’s take a look: Questionable selections England’s problems against South Africa started with their questionable selections. At the toss, captain Jos Buttler had said that bringing in David Willey and Gus Atkinson for Chris Woakes and Sam Curran was just because the pitch favoured the pacers. Ben Stokes, who had missed the tournament so far due to a hip injury, came into the playing XI, hoping to add balance to the side. Both Woakes and Curran would have been crucial batting options, but it’s maybe safe to say that England never expected this kind of collapse where they lost eight wickets for 100. After a below-par performance from their bowlers, which eventually took South Africa to 399/7, England clearly crumbled under pressure. More so, none of their batters even looked motivated enough to try and chase down the total.

399 - @ProteasMenCSA scored 399 against England in men's ODIs @cricketworldcup today, the highest score against the Three Lions by any team in a men's ODIs game. Historic.#SAvENG #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/tiRZPFwmEd

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) October 21, 2023

Ben Stokes (5) was expected to provide stability to England’s batting, but losing two quick wickets meant Stokes, who came in to bat at number four, felt a lot of pressure. All Stokes could manage was a pull in front of square for a boundary, soon after which the all-rounder was caught and bowled by Kagiso Rabada in the ninth over. England were already reeling at 38/4 when Stokes was dismissed, and at that very moment, the game was done and dusted. Had Stokes stayed on, tried to settle himself down, and built some sort of momentum, England could have still had a say in the game. But, that was not meant to be for the reigning champions. Mark Wood-Gus Atkinson resistance It was too late by the time Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson decided to take the aggressive route. England were already reeling at 100/8, and probably the only thing to play for at this point was to build a better net run-rate. And not to forget, this was the last partnership for England, after Reece Topley, who walked off the field with a fractured finger while bowling, did not make his way into the middle. So Wood and Atkinson knew what was to be done. Atkinson came into bat in the 16th over and punished Gerald Coetzee for a couple of boundaries. In the 17th, England lost even further momentum after David Willey was caught by Kagiso Rabada, who was running from the mid-off region. In came Mark Wood, who took on Marco Jansen in the 18th over with a couple of sixes and a four. Atkinson, too, would go on to frustrate Kagiso Rabada with as many as four boundaries in the 21st over.

That was an electrifying atmosphere today at the iconic Wankhede Stadium! 🏟️

Thank you Mumbai for turning out in massive numbers to witness the clash between England & South Africa! 👏👏#CWC23 | #ENGvSA | @cricketworldcup pic.twitter.com/La7nKwx7PZ

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 21, 2023

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In the 22nd over, Wood came up with a brilliant slog sweep, that was preceded by a four and a six. At this point, England looked as though they were doing their bit to revive their NRR as much as possible, but an arm ball from Keshav Maharaj did the trick for Proteas, as he castled Atkinson with a peach of a delivery. England were done and dusted for 170 in just 22 overs.  It’s not every day you see the defending champions of a Cricket World Cup enduring such a below par performance. Yet, here we are. England never looked like a settled side on Saturday. So much for being synonymous with their aggressive brand of cricket, it was rather a letdown for England, the team management, and maybe even more so for their fans. Jos Buttler admitted to the “tough” defeat following the game, claiming that Mumbai’s humidity was one of the challenges his team faced. “Incredibly disappointing. We were well beaten. We have come here to play our best cricket. Lots of things didn’t go to plan in the first innings. Reece picked up the injury.” “The boys fought hard. We could have restricted to 340-350, could have been a good chase. Incredibly tough under the heat. Could have been a good chase had we gotten off to a good start. The humidity was one of the challenges. Was tough,” Buttler said after the match, while also adding there was no room for error. The road ahead for England won’t be easy. They are already falling behind several teams on NRR, and with the likes of Australia, India and New Zealand picking up momentum, it’s only going to be tough from now on, just like Buttler said. However, how they approach the next few games, and if they can rediscover their aggressive touch remains to be seen. Who knows, maybe even a few tough selection calls will also have to be made. But, for now, all England can do is sit back, and hope a few teams slip up, while they prepare for their next match against Sri Lanka on 26 October.