The English Brigde is falling down

With England becoming the first country to be upset at the 2011 world cup , the English media have been absolutely scathing at how their team has performed. Surprising for a team who were branded one of the favourites before the world cup. However the reigning T20 world champions have looked rather dull in the world cup so far. While their batting has been great their bowling has let them down more than once. Here is a step by step guide to their fall in this tournament.

Allowing the Dutch to score 292 in the first match

While taking no credit away from Ryan Doeschate , it wasn’t a great bowling effort from England when a a team like the Netherlands took their bowling apart. Their strike bowler Anderson looked listless and out of sorts. Branded one of the good bowling teams of the tournament , it looked like the English bowlers have left their skills at home. Had it not been for their batsmen , the English team would have failed to get even close to what was a very competitive score. However the chinks in their armour were beginning to show up.

Managing a fighting draw against the hosts India

It was the usual story again with the English bowling whacked like a pinata. On a belter of a pitch at the Chinnaswamy stadium , the Indian batsmen took the English bowlers off the hook and if it was not for Tim Bresnan, a 350+ score would have been scored against the English. However the final score by India, 338, wasn’t a low score by any means and again showed the inability of the English bowlers against quality batsmen. Facing a heavy defeat, the English batsmen led by Strauss came to the rescue again, aided by some amount of luck. However they lost their momentum in the middle and but for some intelligent batting by their bowlers they would have lost high and dry. Probably the English bowlers made up a bit for their bowling.

A big upset

The writing on the wall was loud and clear. English bowling is over-rated and effete. In the subcontinent where there are mostly flat pitches , you need skills like the reverse swing, slower delivery or yorkers to stop the flow of runs. However the English bowlers found it difficult to comprehend this. Against Ireland in their third match , the English managed to get a huge score of 329. However when you have bowling like that, anything is possible. Off course for the opposition team. Led by a blinder of an innings by Kevin O’Brian , Ireland managed to usurp the English score with three wickets to spare.

A big thrashing in waiting

England couldn’t have had a worse luck. Their next match is against the mighty South Africans who have been one of the best teams of the tournament so far. Can the English bowling rise up to the occasion. One thing is for sure, if England want to win the next match they need to field first. The confidence of their bowlers is downcast and another thrashing might be too fatal for them to handle. The only silver lining for England is that most of their batsmen are in form and they can back themselves for chasing any target. However the bowlers must improve or they could soon find themselves on a flight to home.