Ravi Shastri Criticizes England’s Performance in Cricket World Cup 2023: “You Call Yourselves World Champions?”

Ravi Shastri Criticizes England’s Performance in Cricket World Cup 2023: “You Call Yourselves World Champions?”

England’s campaign in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 has been nothing short of disastrous. Their latest defeat came at the hands of India, with a crushing 100-run loss on Sunday. While England’s bowlers did a commendable job in restricting India to a modest total of 229, their batting once again proved to be their downfall as they were all out for a mere 129. This defeat marks England’s fifth loss in six games, leaving them languishing at the bottom of the points table with just 2 points.

Ravi Shastri, the legendary Indian cricketer and current pundit, did not hold back in his scathing criticism of England’s performance in the tournament. He expressed his disappointment with England’s lackluster show so far and highlighted the vast difference in quality between the English and Indian teams.

Shastri pointed out the series of embarrassing performances by England, stating, “England should be devastated – spectators, supporters. Because the first match, which they lost, New Zealand beat them with 17 overs to spare. They were all out in 20 overs against South Africa. Against Sri Lanka, they were all out in 30 overs, and Sri Lanka chased down the target in just 25 overs. Today, they lost 8 wickets within 32 overs. You call yourselves World Champions? If they aren’t sad over their performance, who will?”

Highlighting the disparity between India and England, Shastri remarked, “If someone asks what is the difference between India and England, it is of 8 teams.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also raised concerns for England’s future in the Champions Trophy 2025. The ICC announced that the top 7 teams in the World Cup will directly qualify for the Champions Trophy, along with the host nation, Pakistan. With England currently occupying the bottom spot, they are at risk of missing out on the prestigious competition.

Looking ahead, Shastri emphasized that England will have to play for pride as they sit at the bottom of the points table. He highlighted the significance of the Champions Trophy and the potential blow it would be for a team like England to miss out on such a major ICC tournament. Shastri concluded, “So if England remain in the bottom two, imagine a team like them not playing an ICC tournament as big as the CT would be a huge blow.”

As England faces an uphill battle to salvage their campaign, it remains to be seen if they can turn things around and avoid the disappointment of missing out on future ICC tournaments.