Questioning England cricket’s “mindset”, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin slammed their approach towards “sub-continental tours” after the Jos Buttler-led team was shown the exit door from the group stage of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
England crashed out of the Champions Trophy, failing to clear an expected qualification hurdle of progressing past the group stage of a 50-over ICC event after losses to Australia and Afghanistan. It’s the second straight men’s ODI tournament where they’ve missed out on reaching the top four.
Ashwin felt England are at a crossroads after their recent performances in big-ticket events, and the same reflects their mindset.
“I saw Jos Buttler’s post-match interview (after the Afghanistan game). He was very candid in saying, ‘I do not know what my leadership aspirations are in the future.’ They had a terrible 50-over World Cup in 2023. And now they are out of the 2025 Champions Trophy. They don’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. So, with all that in mind, I think England are at a crossroads,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel “Ash Ki Baat.”
“There was a statement from Ben Duckett after losing the first ODI in India. He said, ‘We don’t care if we lose 3-0 to India. Because we want to beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy.’
“It reflects their mindset. Is it so easy to go to a major competition and win the final?”
Raising questions over England’s batting approach, Ashwin slammed Harry Brook’s projection of being the next generation sensation, which has increased the performance pressure on the batter.
“There is no consistent template in your batting. You were marketing and branding Harry Brook as the next generation sensation. But Harry Brook’s game is also sinking. He is now under immense pressure to produce match-winning knocks,” he said.
“What’s happened with England in this Bazball generation is something that they have to retrospect.
“Ravi Shastri has given an amazing comment: that England needs to take sub-continental tours very seriously. The World Cups England won in 2019 (ODI) at home and in 2022 (T20I) in Australia—they actually haven’t come to the sub-continent and won anything of repute.
“Teams like Australia travel very well. They prepare well. They perform well. South Africa also prepares. They put in good performances. But England, I still feel, treats sub-continental tours just as a tick box. Has the time come for England to really dig in and think about it?”
Ashwin also said the England coaching staff is not good enough to help them win in the sub-continent.
“In earlier times, we used to get foreign coaches. We used to get coaches from abroad. Let’s say Gary Kirsten, Duncan Fletcher, Greg Chappell. But England, they haven’t gone out of the Western approach.
“If they want to win in the sub-continent, I don’t think their backroom staff has enough experience to win there.
“All these things put into perspective, for sub-continental tours, it is very important to prepare. I always keep thinking about England’s team. Because England’s team has so much ability. Think about their team lineup and ability. Look at the talent they possess, be it ball striking, delivering the ball. Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, everyone is fast.”
Ashwin lamented England’s execution against Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran, who scored 177 runs.
“They are so dependent on analytics. The company that does the analytics for them is England’s home-grown company. They rely so much on analytical data, but when it comes to execution, they always falter.
“I don’t understand how it happens.
“Everyone knows Ibrahim Zadran is an off-side player. But my question is, you have not targeted his legs or his hips. Ibrahim Zadran made 170 runs, and most of the runs came on the off-side. He hit just one six on the leg-side, that too in front of long-on. He is a closed-off player. He hits without using his feet. And how can there be such a mistake in execution?
“It means there is a mistake in planning. So, obviously, I think when a team is low on confidence, these mistakes keep happening. As a cricket fan, I’d love for England to play a better brand of cricket. If not for Joe Root’s brilliance, they would have lost by a distance,” he said.
“You don’t have the technique to compete in Test cricket. What you are doing in Test cricket is hard to understand. You are not qualifying for the WTC finals either. You need to respect all the formats and make a game plan accordingly.
“According to me, England needs to re-look their approach and thought process when visiting sub-continental nations, whether it is Sri Lanka, India, or Pakistan. A total revamp, in my view, is required in their approach. I really hope England goes from strength to strength,” he added.