Ahead of the World Cup in 2015, limited-overs coach, Ashley Giles, has pretty much admitted what everyone else already knew - England's one-day squad is in drastic need of major surgery if it is going to compete with the best teams on the planet. Giles, speaking after the hugely-disappointing 4-1 ODI series defeat in Australia, has admitted he has some “tough decisions” to make as he bids to get England back on track. The way they threw away another winning position in Adelaide, to add to similar capitulations earlier on the tour, will have caused great alarm among the ECB hierarchy.
England had, belatedly, managed to win on their disastrous tour down under when they triumphed in the fourth one-dayer and they appeared to be heading for morale-boosting back-to-back victories to at least cheer the spirits after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash debacle.
That they managed to mess things up once again proved what many fans and cricket betting pundits already knew - there is not enough talent and mental toughness in this squad when they require that little bit extra and wholesale changes - in both the squad and coaching staff - are needed if England are to recover quickly.
It has been a miserable few months for England fans. The Ashes were bad enough but they still entered the 50-over five-game series with plenty of confidence of coming out on top. Sadly, it has all been too familiar a tale of under-performing batsmen, off-form bowlers, and shoddy fielding that has let England down.
Skipper, Alastair Cook, has struggled with his own form and sometimes the big decisions on the field, and has now been given a rest for the upcoming trip to take on the West Indies. Some critics will say it is time he is given permanent leave from the side. That, and many other things, will be discussed by the selectors and Giles, while stressing he has some big decisions to make.
Ravi Bopara has been among the experienced players tipped for the axe and Giles could not deflect from the fact he has looked woefully out of touch on this tour. He said: "Ravi will be disappointed because he has not had the best series with the bat but with all these guys we try and build and move forward."
While on the overall future of the 50-over side, Giles added: "We all have hard decisions to make. There might be some tough selection decisions."
After sinking down the rankings and the cricket betting odds, the time for inward reflection leading to constructive change cannot come quickly enough for England.
Alex Jackson for DieHard Cricket Fans
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