'Didn’t bat, bowl and field well' - Moeen Ali on England's forgettable World Cup campaign

England all-rounder Moeen Ali has reflected on his side's forgettable campaign in the recently-concluded 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The English side who have clinched the title in 2019 were one of the favourites in 2023, however, the team failed to replicate its performances and put up the weakest defence of a title by any team in the tournament's history as they finished seventh with just three wins from nine games. A couple of wins in the latter stages of the tournament, however, helped them to secure a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Speaking on England's disastrous performance, Moeen, a key part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning side, stated that they did not do the basics well in challenging Indian conditions. The 36-year-old went on to say that they will bounce back before long.

“We didn’t bat well, bowl well, and field well, didn’t do the basics well. And in a place like India, you get punished. So that’s what happened to us. And then when we tried to play well, we just couldn’t get going because obviously the pressure of being desperate to win well, sometimes also comes. So yeah, it’s just one of those. Look, we’ve won the last couple of World Cups. You can’t win every tournament. We still got brilliant players, different brilliant management, and we will come back strong,” Moeen told News 18 CricketNext.com. 

For the unversed, this was not the first time England had such an embarrassing campaign in a World Cup as it was reminiscent of their disappointing performance in the 2015 edition. After a group stage exit in the 2015, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took decisive actions, appointing Eoin Morgan as the captain. Morgan assumed leadership in the white-ball format, orchestrating a remarkable transformation of the team.

In an unfortunate turn of events, England also found themselves in the company of former champions Australia (1987 winners) and Sri Lanka (1996 winners) on the list of defending champions that failed to advance to the knockout stages of the following edition. Adding to the woes, the current ODI team exhibited a lackluster performance, in their recent series against West Indies, where they suffered a 1-2 loss.