Veteran England all-rounder Moeen Ali said they had expected too much from an older team after their loss to Australia in the 2023 World Cup group stages and believes that the Jos Buttler-led side needs to start building from scratch taking cue from the team after the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup.
Entering the World Cup as the defending champions, England has fared appallingly, ending up bottom of the points table after six losses in seven games. Their last defeat by Australia in Ahmedabad by 33 runs resulted in their official elimination from the World Cup.
Speaking to Espncricinfo, Moeen Ali feels that every good thing comes to an end at certain points and admitted that the team didn’t see it coming in this tournament. He believes an exciting few months for English cricket coming ahead, with some new players joining the team to play a fearless brand of cricket, similar to how they rebuilt the team following the 2015 ODI World Cup.
“Everything good comes to an end and maybe the writing was on the wall and we just didn’t see it as players because we thought we’d be performing well. But I just think everything good comes to an end at some point. It’s very exciting because going forward we’ve got some really good players we know will come into the squad, with that fearless playing, so that restart we had in 2015 could start again,” Moeen Ali said
The defending champions have been completely outplayed in the tournament, as England’s side went down without a fight in almost every game barring their lone victory against Bangladesh, and more worrying has been their body language on the field with players giving up the game with spirited fight in the tournament.
I Think If I Was In Charge I’d Play The Younger Guys – Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali revealed that he would have a conversation with England’s skipper and head coach regarding his position in the side going forward, to know about the team’s plan in white-ball cricket and said that he would be happy even if the team moved to the younger players overlooking him and thinks that after the ODI World Cup, the England team will undoubtedly go in that direction.
“I’m obviously going to speak to Jos [Buttler] and Motty [coach Matthew Mott] and see what they want from me, whether they want me around or whatever, I don’t know. If they say, ‘look we’re going to go with younger players and start again’ then I’m more than happy. I get it, I understand and like I said, everything good comes to an end at some point.”
“I think if I was in charge I’d play the younger guys. I’d just start again and I’m sure they’re going to do that. It’s common sense more than anything. You want that fearless approach again and it’s a great time to start again,” Moeen Ali added.
England still has two games left to play against the Netherlands, and Pakistan, and winning these games is crucial for the team to qualify for the Champions Trophy.
