Former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth recently aired his thoughts on England’s dismal performance in the current 2023 World Cup.
Sreesanth questioned Jos Buttler and company’s preparation for the major event, believing they lacked the drive to win. He remarked that South Africa gave England a taste of their own medicine by playing a bold brand of cricket.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, Sreesanth explained:
“It doesn’t look like England have come here to win the World Cup. Right from their first match, it didn’t seem as if they were prepared. That’s how cricket is; they will learn.”
“The fearless cricket that England talk about, South Africa played that kind of cricket and beat them,” he continued. “The kind of cricket that South Africa are playing is admirable. They showed great intent. The last few overs were like a video game, as every ball was being hit for a four or a six.”
S Sreesanth
Notably, England suffered a crushing 229-run defeat to South Africa in their most recent 2023 World Cup match. They presently sit in ninth place in the points standings, having won only one of their four games.
Sreesanth’s Bold Prediction: South Africa Will Reach 2023 World Cup Final
Sreesanth believes that if South Africa can maintain their strong run in the 2023 World Cup, they will have a decent chance of reaching the World Cup final.
The cricketer-turned-commentator, on the other hand, believes the Proteas would struggle to get going on decent surfaces. Sreesanth went on to say:
“South Africa have been named chokers by many. But they have already choked in this World Cup. It’s good that they got that loss early. Historically, South Africa would win matches and then lose in the quarterfinal or semi-final.
“But I feel they can qualify for the final this time if they continue playing in this fashion. However, I would still say that they can play well on flat tracks, but we saw how they lost to the Netherlands on a good track.”
S Sreesanth
South Africa is second in the Points Table after winning four of their first five matches. Their lone defeat came against the Netherlands, when they were unable to chase down a 246-run mark in 43 overs.