England may have been the reigning world champions in both 50-over and T20 cricket as recently as two years ago, but they head into the Champions Trophy facing an uphill struggle to reach the semi-finals. They suffered seven defeats in eight white-ball games during their preceding tour of India, culminating in a crushing 142-run loss in the third one-day international in Ahmedabad. That result condemned England to a 3-0 series whitewash, after their 4-1 reverse in the T20s.

Accusations of laziness from India great Ravi Shastri and ex-England batsman Kevin Pietersen may be unfair, but the side have now lost more ODIs since their 2019 World Cup triumph than they have won — 32 to 29, with 10 defeats in their last 14.

In England’s favour is that the pitches in Pakistan, where they face Australia in their Champions Trophy opener in Lahore on Saturday, are set to be more to the liking of both their batsmen and fast bowlers than the spin-friendly surfaces in India.

To reach the last four of the eight-team Champions Trophy ODI tournament, Jos Buttler‘s men must finish in the top two of a group that also contains Afghanistan and South Africa — both of whom beat England during their woeful title defence in the 2023 World Cup in India.

The recent India campaign was England’s first since Test coach Brendon McCullum also took charge of the white-ball teams.

Former New Zealand captain McCullum enjoyed initial success as England’s red-ball boss, although the team have since failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.

‘Always optimistic’

Many of the criticisms levelled against England’s Test cricket under McCullum have now been applied to the limited-overs teams.

The all-format charge sheet against England includes struggle against quality spin and express fast bowling, while their only response when an aggressive ‘Plan A’ fails appears to be simply to ‘go harder’ rather than adapt to the evolving match conditions.

McCullum however was typically bullish following defeat in Ahmedabad, saying: “You know what I’m like. Always optimistic. If you go the other way, you’ve got no chance, right? I have belief in us.”

But whether white-ball skipper Buttler remains the right man to oversee an England revamp is an open question.

It was limited-overs coach Matthew Mott who lost his job following England’s lacklustre defence of their T20 World Cup last year.

Nothing that has happened since suggests Buttler is providing the charismatic or tactical leadership to inspire England.

The dynamic batsman, speaking after the India ODI series, said: “I think the fact we’re not anywhere near our potential yet or playing individually or collectively where we know we can be gives us something to look forward to, believe we can get there and be a dangerous team in the Champions Trophy.”

Dashing England opener Ben Duckett has at least been passed fit for the tournament following a groin injury but rising star Jacob Bethell has been ruled out with a hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, England’s attack — which once featured at least one left-arm paceman — is set to be an all-right-arm affair spearheaded by express quicks Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, with much depending on leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Encouragingly for England, arch-rivals Australia will be without key players in fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

They too have just been thrashed, with Sri Lanka inflicting a mammoth 174-run loss upon Australia in the second ODI in Colombo.

Harry Brook was undone by Varun Chakravarthy twice© BCCI/Sportzpics

Harry Brook was bamboozled by Varun Chakravarthy for the second straight game.© X (Twitter)

England’s Harry Brook gave a bizarre explanation ahead of 2nd T20I against India in Chennai. He said that due to smog in Kolkata, it was difficult to play the spin of Varun Chakravarthy. “But with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick. Hopefully the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier. Facing spin in T20 cricket is probably the hardest thing in the game, especially because I always get out trying to absolutely smack it,” he said.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri took a brutal dig at Brook regarding the comment ahead of the 2nd T20I. “Good news for Harry Brook. There is no smog here,” he said.

Then when Varun Chakravarthy scalped Brook in the seventh over, Sunil Gavaskar quipped: “Light is clearer here. There is no smog.”

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl against England in the second T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. India continued their good form in T20Is with an emphatic seven-wicket win over the visitors in the series opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After seven years, the T20I action has returned to Chepauk, with India playing its last game in the format in 2018 against the West Indies.

The Men in Blue will be keen to continue the dazzling form in the second T20I and take a 2-0 advantage before the action shifts to Gujarat.

England are missing the presence of young Jacob Bethell, who is not playing due to illness. Jamie Smith has come in to replace Bethell, which marks his T20I debut for England. Brydon Carse is another debutant for the Three Lions, replacing Gus Atkinson.

India will be missing the presence of young all-rounder Nitish Reddy, who has been ruled out of T20I due to side strain.

India are also missing explosive batter, Rinku Singh. The BCCI confirmed that Rinku sustained a low back spasm while fielding in the first T20I. Rinku has been progressing well and the BCCI medical team is monitoring him closely.

Suryakumar confirmed that the player could miss one or two games. With the two stars missing, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar have come in as replacements. Just like in Kolkata, seasoned pacer Mohammed Shami continues to sit out from India’s playing XI.

Suryakumar Yadav said, “We’ll look to bowl first. Looks a good track, hoping the wicket to be better in the evening. We want to stick to the basics. Really looking forward to the game. (Fielding) That’s one thing which brings everyone together. Nitish is ruled out, and Rinku will miss one or two games. Washi and Jurel come in.”

England captain Jos Buttler said: “We would have bowled first as well. Same game plans, look to do better. Hopefully, it’ll be a good pitch and match. Bethell is unwell, and Jamie Smith comes in. Atkinson misses out, Carse comes in.”

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

With ANI inputs 

England lost the first T20I against India.© AFP

Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell heaped praises on young England batter Harry Brook, comparing his performances and approach to legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Brook is one of the newest faces of world cricket, having made a name for himself with some impactful knocks across all formats. Tests are Brook’s best format so far and he would be looking to make an impact in the Ashes series against Australia away from home later this year.

In 24 Tests, he has made 2,281 runs at an average of 58.48, with eight centuries and 10 fifties in 40 innings. His best score is 317. While these numbers are eye-catchy, it is his away-from-home statistics that are truly mind-boggling. In 11 away Tests, he has scored 1,520 runs at an average of 80.00, with seven centuries and four fifties. His best score is 317.

Writing in his column for Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell wrote that under the “bold and transformative leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum”, the England team is not only rebuilding, but is surging ahead with a team that “looks equipped to dominate for a generation.”

“Central to this optimism is the emergence of Harry Brook, a batting sensation whose performances and approach I compare to the great Sachin Tendulkar. Remarkably, Brook’s early career stats suggest he might even have outpaced the Indian maestro in terms of impact at the same stage,” he added.

Chappell lauded Brook for his “simple but devastatingly effective batting method” that has made him one of the most talked about players in the world at the age of 25.

“Much like Tendulkar in his early years, Brook does not move excessively in the crease before the ball is delivered. His stability and minimalistic technique allow him to read the angles of the bowler and adjust his strokes with precision. The result? An extraordinary ability to score from most deliveries, whether they are pitched full, short or on an awkward length,” he added.

Chappell also pointed out that Tendulkar’s brilliance in his prime was mainly scoring on both sides of wicket and using a bowler’s pace to his advantage.

“Brook, though a bigger and more powerful player physically, has a strikingly similar ability to manipulate the field with wristy flicks, crunching drives, and punishing back-foot shots. It is a simple method, but simplicity often breeds greatness,” he added.

Chappell further drew a comparison between the first 15 Tests of both Brook and Sachin, with Sachin having scored 837 runs at an average of just under 40 with two centuries, as compared to Brook, who scored 1,378 runs at an average of almost 60, with five tons.

“To be fair, Sachin was still a teenager while Brook is in his mid-20s,” he added.

Chappell said that Brook’s ability to “combine aggression with consistency” makes him an absolute nightmare to bowl to.

“Much like Tendulkar, he’s incredibly hard to contain. For England, he is not just a bright prospect, he is a player around whom their future could be built,” he added.

Chappell also noted that under Stokes, England is playing with an “infectious swagger”.

“They do not just aim to win, they aim to dominate. This attitude, coupled with McCullum’s aggressive philosophies, has allowed England to forge a fearless and entertaining team identity.”

“Brook embodies this new ethos: he bats with a sense of inevitability. Bowlers know he will score, but they do not know how to stop him. This psychological edge cannot be overstated. By the time Brook walks to the crease, the fielding side is already under pressure,” he concluded.

The five-match Ashes series will begin in Perth on November 21, with the remaining four Tests to be held in Brisbane (day-night Test), Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

England have not won a series in Australia since 2010/11, with the most recent series between the two rivals ending tied at 2-2 on English soil last year.

The series will form a crucial part of the next ICC World Test Championship period (2025-27), with Australia having won the mace in 2023 and England yet to feature in the final.

England haven’t held the Ashes since they won on home soil in 2015 under the captaincy of former opener Alastair Cook.

Series schedule:

First Test: Perth Stadium, November 21-25

Second Test: Gabba, December 4-8

Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21

Fourth Test: MCG, December 26-30

Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8.

New Zealand vs England 3rd Test Day 1 Live Scorecard© AFP

File image of Harry Brook.© AFP

New Zealand vs England 2nd Test Day 2 Live Score Updates© AFP