Aakash Chopra recently questioned England’s performance in the 2023 World Cup, pointing out that they may be able to book their return tickets already.
Jos Buttler’s team experienced a crushing eight-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 26. This loss plummeted them to ninth in the points table, having secured only two points from five matches. Now, as defending champions, they face what seems like an insurmountable task of progressing to the semi-finals.
Aakash Chopra stated in a video posted to his YouTube channel that England’s poor performances had left him stunned. He stated:
“What should I say about England? You haven’t left me in a position to say anything. Regroup a little and if it’s like this, you can book your return tickets now itself as you will get them slightly cheap, there is still some time left.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener believes the reigning champions don’t even want to get to the knockout rounds.
“I don’t feel you even want to progress because you are not playing cricket like that,” Aakash Chopra observed. “I have a lot of respect for England but not for the cricket they are playing. You used to talk about the brand but the situation is very bad at the moment.”
Aakash Chopra
England initiated their World Cup journey suffering a striking nine-wicket loss against New Zealand. Despite bouncing back with an impressive 137-run victory over Bangladesh in the next game, they’ve since endured harsh losses in their last three matches, facing defeat against Afghanistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
Aakash Chopra Blasts England’s World Cup Incompetence: ‘They Can’t Chase or Defend’
Aakash Chopra went on to say that England has been found inadequate in both pursuing and setting goals. He stated, “
“The team hasn’t come. They are unable to chase and are unable to defend as well because they have not able to score that many runs. The England guys’ stories are looking extremely ordinary.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra was unsure if England’s loss to the Lankan Lions should be considered an upset. He went on to say:
“We got to see a good encounter once again. It was one-sided for sure but it was an upset. It’s a question whether it was an upset or not because England lose to everyone. When you play against India, if you beat India, that will be an upset, this perhaps wasn’t an upset.”
Aakash Chopra
England were all out for a disappointing 156 after just 33.2 overs. Only Ben Stokes (43), Jonny Bairstow (30), and Dawid Malan (28) made it past 20 runs. Then Pathum Nissanka (77) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65) clinched a 137-run partnership with no wickets taken for the third wicket, giving Sri Lanka an easy victory.