'Talent is about winning games' - Nasser Hussain criticises young England players for poor Champions Trophy campaign

The Champions Trophy 2025 playoffs begin on Tuesday, March 4 and though some fans enjoyed the performances of certain teams, some have faced disappointment seeing their team underperform in the tournament. One team that has failed to live up to the standards is the England side.

The Three Lions, led by Jos Buttler, failed to win a single match in the tournament, losing all their group games including the one against tournament debutants Afghanistan. Many experts and pundits have criticised the way they performed in the ICC event.

One of the experts who is disappointed with the performances of the team is former England skipper Nasser Hussain who criticised the young talents who played in the Champions Trophy, namely Harry Brook, Philip Salt, and Liam Livingstone. Hussain also went on to compare a few legendary players to Brook when it comes to 50-over cricket experience.

“I would drag Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Harry Brook across and tell them that talent is about winning games, not playing the best shot of the day. I like Brook but it's a bit of a weak excuse for him to say: I'm learning on my feet. Well, learn a bit quicker. It's not that difficult to comprehend that you've got 30 more overs to bat. Adapt your scoring tempo according to what the scoreboard tells you,” Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.

“How much domestic 50-over cricket did some of the best players in the world play? How much did David Warner play when he got into Australia's side? He got in on a diet of Twenty20. How much did Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma play? How much did Jos Buttler play?” Hussain added.

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Hussain on England’s approach in ODIs

The emerging youngsters were not the only one who received criticism from the 56-year-old former cricketer but the England head coach Brendon McCullum also did. Hussain blasted the hard-hitting approach of the former Kiwi player suggesting that there should be a smarter approach to the game by the players.

“How will England going to play 50-over cricket going forward? Is it just seen as an extension of 20-over cricket? Because every time England are bowled out - across any format - I just hear: 'We didn't go hard enough. As a captain, I'd be having a word with McCullum, making the point that cannot always be the answer. Sometimes, you just need to be smarter. Afghanistan were 37 for three, took stock, and ended up getting 325 on the board against England - a score they could defend,” Hussain said.