Former England cricketer Mark Butcher has raised concerns about whether England possess enough experience in the 50-over format to compete effectively in the upcoming Champions Trophy. His remarks came after England suffered a humiliating 3-0 series defeat against India, exposing significant weaknesses in their ODI setup. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast during England’s third ODI loss in Ahmedabad, Butcher highlighted the lack of match experience among the squad. England fielded several inexperienced players in the series, including Jacob Bethell, who had played just 16 List A games before making his ODI debut last summer.

Gus Atkinson, who made his international debut in 2023 after featuring in only two List A matches, endured a difficult tour, conceding 139 runs across two ODIs. Following Bethell’s injury, England recalled Tom Banton, who hadn’t played a single 50-over match since his last ODI appearance in 2020.

“The first thing that sprung to my mind during the first two ODIs was just how naive most of our cricket is in the 50-over format,” said Butcher, as quoted from Wisden.

“I thought ‘why might that be?’. It’s because we don’t play any. There is a world of difference in terms of the tempo that the game needs to continuously be played at. I don’t mean that the tempo is a rigid graph that only goes up, the tempo needs to fluctuate in 50-over cricket in a way that it doesn’t need to in 20-over cricket. Having that skill and nous and game awareness to know when to put the foot down and when to ease off a little but, when to sit in and when to go hard, is something that only comes with playing lots of it,” he added.

“I remember back in the 90s when England would play three Texaco Trophy matches during the course of the summer, the sum total of England’s 50-over cricket would be three to six matches per summer. They’d be playing against Indian sides, or West Indian sides or Australian sides, the difference in number of caps between them and our players was three times more on the other team. We’re kind of back in that situation now whereby the India players will out number the number of caps of even someone like Jos Buttler for example, by at least two to one or three to one,” he said.

“A lot of our guys will be a lot better for the run. Gus Atkinson has had a pretty chastening trip and that’s not a bad thing. He’s basically found the game far too easy up to this point and has run into the first road block. Being a very talented boy and somebody who has the hunger and desire to be the very best, he will be better for the experience of a flogging in India. But if you’re talking about winning a Champions Trophy in a couple of weeks time, it’s not likely is it? That our team and the make-up of it and the experience of it is going to have the skill and the nous and the know-how to win what is a very difficult form of cricket, 50-over cricket. It requires more than just putting your foot to the floor and keeping it there,” he noted.

In stark contrast, India’s young players have considerably more experience in the format. Shubman Gill, at just 25, has already played 50 ODIs and over 100 List A matches. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in the second match of the series in Cuttack, has already featured in 30 List A games despite being in the early stages of his professional career.

England’s campaign in the Champions Trophy will begin on February 22 in Lahore, where they will take on arch-rivals Australia. They will also face Afghanistan and South Africa in the group stage, hoping to overcome their recent struggles and make a strong impact in the tournament.

The England cricket team’s 0-3 defeat against India in the recently concluded ODI series against India put them in the line of fire. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri and ex-England captain Kevin Pietersen rubbed salt to their wounds by suggesting that the team had only one nets session throughout the series. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum has called the accusation by Shastri and Pietersen ‘factually incorrect’, saying a cautious call over the team’s training schedule had to be taken, keeping workload and injuries in mind.

“Firstly it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train. We train plenty right throughout, guys have come from (playing) a lot of cricket as well. It’s an easy thing to have as a throwaway line, saying guys aren’t training hard enough when results aren’t right,” McCullum told TalkSport after the match.

Pietersen, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), had said: “I’m sorry, but I am absolutely gobsmacked that England did not have ONE team practice session since losing the 1st ODI and losing the T20 series. How can this be? Seriously, how?

I believe Joe Root was the only player to have a net this series, post-Nagpur. There isn’t a single sportsman on this planet who can honestly say, that they’d improve without practicing whilst they’re getting beaten. There also cannot be one player in that England side that can sit on the plane leaving India and saying to themselves, they did everything they can to try help England win. And for that, I’m am actually incredibly sad this evening.

Losing is fine if you’re giving your best to improve everyday and if England didn’t train during this series then they didn’t try. Heartbreaking for any England fan!”

I’m sorry, but I am absolutely gobsmacked that England did not have ONE team practice session since losing the 1st ODI and losing the T20 series.

How can this be?

Seriously, how?

I believe Joe Root was the only player to have a net this series, post Nagpur.

There isn’t a…

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) February 12, 2025

While calling Shastri and Pietersen’s statement incorrect, McCullum didn’t go on to suggest that his team had multiple training sessions over the course of the series in India. With the Champions Trophy coming up, McCullum said that the larger objective was to keep his players fit for the ICC event.

“We have got a style and a method we believe in, guys who are batting injuries. (We are) trying to make sure we have got enough bodies out in the field knowing that we have a huge assignment coming up in a week or two,” said McCullum. “Ultimately it’s factually incorrect what is being said. We disagree with it and we will stay true with what we believe in.”

England suffered an embarrassing 3-0 ODI series defeat and 4-1 T20I series defeat at the hands of India in their recently-concluded tour, and legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has launched a scathing criticism on them. In particular, Ashwin expressed disappointment at how lightly England seemingly took the series, and also emphasized his disapproval of excuses used by England following their defeats. In particular, England opener Ben Duckett came under the hammer from Ashwin after he’d said that they don’t mind losing the series 3-0 as long as England beat India in the Champions Trophy.

“If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final in the Champions Trophy. No one will probably look back on this series if we go and do the business in that competition,” Duckett had said after the 3-0 ODI series defeat.

Ashwin sharply responded to Duckett’s statements.

“No matter what Ben Duckett says, going into the Champions Trophy this series loss will create a big dent to their confidence,” Ashwin said, speaking on his YouTube channel.

“Ben Duckett has said similar things in the past too, saying Yashasvi Jaiswal has learnt to play aggressive cricket from England’s Bazball style. I know Ben Duckett and his penchant for humour, but this was no joke and it is like you are hiding your failures behind humour,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin also criticized the fact that England players seem to look for excuses after a series defeat. He also stated that the England team has been in a slump for a fair while now.

“Your 2023 ODI World Cup was pretty bad as well. It isn’t like they are in bad form over 2-3 months. It has been the case for four years now. Despite having such a talented group they are not able to justify their potential,” Ashwin stated.

“Even in Test cricket, I read somewhere a few days ago that Ben Stokes said that he doesn’t understand the points system of the WTC. My only advice to him is that if you don’t understand the points system, then first go and understand it. This is not a joke. Every time you lose, you bring up such lame excuses,” Ashwin said.

England will face Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan in what is expected to be a closely-fought group in the Champions Trophy 2025. England finished behind all three nations at the 2023 World Cup.

In a hilarious and rather bizarre video that has surfaced on social media, Team India’s trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul seemed to have forgot picking up the ODI series trophy that they won after beating England 3-0. India completed the sweep against England on Wednesday after Rohit’s men secured a 142-run victory in the third and final match at Ahmedabad. As the boys celebrated the team’s win, a video showed Rohit, Rahul and Kohli walking past the trophy before realizing they had to pick it up too.

“Trophy hi bhool gaye [they forgot the trophy]!”, a fan wrote on social media while sharing the video which has now gone viral.

teeno ke teeno paagal, trophy hi bhul gayepic.twitter.com/IJhJPKqjwy

— T. (@iklamhaa) February 13, 2025

Team India absolutely bossed England in the 3-match series, emerging as the better side in all three departments. Skipper Rohit couldn’t be happier.

“There is a bit of freedom in the squad to go out there and play the way you want. The World Cup (2023) was a perfect example of that. We want to continue to do that. There will be times it will not fall in place but that’s okay,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation.

He was very happy with team putting up a collective show and everyone putting up satisfactory performances.

“Very very pleasing (with the way the series went). We knew there would be challenges that we could face,” he added.

Without going into specifics, Rohit said India will be looking to further improve their game with the Champions Trophy, beginning on February 19, in mind.

“Obviously, there are certain things we are looking at and I am not going to stand here and explain those. It is our job as well to keep some consistency within the squad and the communication is clear.

“Obviously a champion team wants to get better every game and move forward from there,” he added.

Player of the match and series, Shubman Gill said the hundred was one of his better knocks because there was some help for fast bowlers initially.

“I was feeling good. I think this was one of the better knocks. The pitch was a bit tricky at the start so it’s satisfying. There was a bit for the fast bowlers.

“It was seaming, so the chat was to rotate strike and not lose wickets in Power Play, build on the momentum and take it from there,” he said.

With PTI Inputs

England suffered a disappointing 3-0 ODI series sweep at the hands of India on Wednesday. The side failed to challenge the Rohit Sharma-led side in any of the games and its batters looked clueless against the Indian spinners. While talking about the struggle of England batters, former India player Ravi Shastri pointed out that the players have had just one training session during the entire ODI series. Ex-England player Kevin Pietersen also slammed the players of his nation for taking ‘disrespecting Indian conditions’.

“From what I’ve heard, England have had just one net session this entire trip, if not any. If you’re not prepared to do the hard yards, you’re not going to improve,” said Shastri during commentary in third ODI.

Meanwhile, England great Pietersen said, “The 2-hour flight from Dubai across here. He (Tom Banton) was on the golf course yesterday. He wasn’t batting, and where have the issues come? The start, 1 for 60, 2 for 80. And then, what happens? None of them can play spin. And how do you improve playing spin?”

After the game, Pietersen revealed that he read an article where a journalist claimed that the England players could not have sufficient training due to injury concerns and the little gap after the T20I series that preceded the ODIs.

Notably, the India vs England T20I series concluded on February 2, while the ODI matches took place on February 6, 9 and 12.

“Just got sent an article where a leading UK journo has said that Shastri & I got it wrong last night when discussing England not training,” said Pietersen in a post on X.

“Reason – injuries and quick turnaround between games…!

“Do me a f*****g favour! Stop writing about cricket if you’re going to write such rubbish.

“Injuries are part of sport and this schedule is like every bilateral series almost ever played.

“Injuries are NOT stopping batters from batting against net bowlers and learning the art of playing spin. And that’s where they should have been to IMPROVE! Trust me on this one as it saved my career against spin!

“It seems the journos are in cahoots with what we’re trying to be brainwashed into believing! You won’t fool the fan with such!”

Just got sent an article where a leading UK journo has said that Shastri & I got it wrong last night when discussing England not training.

Reason – injuries and quick turnaround between games…!

Do me a f*****g favour! Stop writing about cricket if you’re going to write…

— Kevin Pietersen(@KP24) February 13, 2025

Both India and England now head up to the Champions Trophy that is set to kick off on February 19.

India inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on England after winning the third ODI by 142 runs in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The 3-0 whitewash was the fourth series whitewashe by India at home under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, which is now a record. Rohit jointly held the feat alongside Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni on three whitewashes ahead of the series. As Rohit presented the winning trophy to Yashasvi Jaiswal for the celebrations, cameras spotted star batter Kohli talking to someone on phone.

While rest of the players were wearing Team India’s jersey, Kohli was wearing a practice top while speaking on the phone. However, it is not clear whom he was talking to.

Captain @ImRo45 is presented the winners trophy by ICC Chairman, Mr @JayShah as #TeamIndia clean sweep the ODI series 3-0 

#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/1XaKksydw9

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 12, 2025

Kohli ended the series with a well-made 52 (55) in the third and final ODI. After missing the series-opener, he had managed just five runs in the Cuttack ODI.

India captain Rohit was satisfied with the team’s performance against England, saying that the hosts didn’t put a foot wrong in the three-matches.

“It’s very, very pleasing. We knew there would be challenges, we came out well, responding to whatever was thrown at us. Credit to the bowler [Wood for his second-ball dismissal], the bowler is there to get you out, sometimes you are lucky that it misses the bat. I just nicked the ball second-ball, and couldn’t have done anything about that.

“I don’t see there was anything that we did wrong in this series. There are certain things we are looking at but I am not going to stand here and discuss about it. The players are comfortable having those chats. It is our job to keep some consistency within the squad and the communication is clear. In terms of skills, nothing I can discuss. Obviously a champion team wants to get better every game and move forward.

“We were very happy with the score. There is a bit of freedom in the squad to go out there and play the way you are supposed to play. The World Cup was a perfect example of that and we want to continue to do that, and build on that. There will be times things will not fall in place, but that’s okay.”

India head coach Gautam Gambhir finally lifted the veil over whether Shreyas Iyer was supposed to be benched throughout the three ODIs against England by affirming that the 30-year-old batter was always in the “scheme of things.” On Wednesday, India exuded dominance over England in Ahmedabad with an emphatic 142-run victory to sweep the series away with a 3-0 win. Despite India’s success, some fans still pondered Shreyas’s shocking statement after India’s victory in the first ODI in Nagpur.

Shreyas revealed that he got confirmation of being included in the playing XI after a late-night call from skipper Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli’s knee issue opened up a spot for Shreyas. If the Indian stalwart had remained fit, then Shreyas would have started the series on the bench.

The 30-year-old played a swift counterattacking 59-run knock to lay the foundation for India’s four-wicket win in the first ODI. He kept riding high on his momentum and ended the series with 181 runs at an average of 60.33.

Gambhir broke the silence surrounding the decision to bench Shreays. Considering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form in Australia, the management decided to give the youngster his debut in the format and see what he could offer on the field.

“On Shreyas Iyer, he wasn’t supposed to be benched throughout the series. We wanted to give Yashasvi a go in the first game and see what he could bring to the table because he was in really good form in Australia. So we wanted to see what kind of innings he can play,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

In the series’ final match, Shreyas proved himself the best candidate among India’s pool of talent for the number four spot in the ODIs. He balanced his aggression with composure to entertain the crowd with his belligerent 78 from 64 deliveries, laced with eight fours and two towering sixes.

“I know that one inning; you can’t judge someone by one inning. But we always knew that Shreyas was going to be an important player for us; what he’s done at number four because number four beat the World Cup, or forget about even the World Cup, he’s just an important player,” he added.

Gambhir laid out the squad’s rotation policy, which allows every player to get an opportunity before the Champions Trophy begins on February 19.

“So sometimes, when you’ve only got three games, you want to try and rotate your squad as well. See, for today, we could have easily played Shami, but we wanted to give Arshdeep a go. We could have played Jadeja as well; we gave Washington a go as well,” he said.

“So when you’ve got the Champions Trophy around the corner, you want to try and maximize these three games and try and give everyone an opportunity. But Shreyas was always in the scheme of things, and it’s good that he played all three games. It’s still early days; I think guys have shown some really good signs; Harshit has come along really well; Ash was really good today as well; he got his first opportunity,” he added.

India vs England: Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli© AFP

Star India batter Virat Kohli was visibly dejected after his dismissal in the third and final ODI against England in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Kohli hit a composed 55-ball 52 before Adil Rashid had him caught off keeper Phil Salt on the final ball of the 19th over after England opted to bowl. Kohli with a well-flighted delivery that turned sharply, catching the outside edge before being safely pouched by Salt. The former India captain didn’t even wait for the umpire’s signal as he walked back to the dressing room straightaway.

In a viral video, Kohli was seen having a chat with India captain Rohit Sharma in the dugout after his dismissal. At the end of the video, Rohit can be seen giving Kohli a pat on his back before the latter took a seat next to him.

Virat Kohli was disappointed with his dismissal but Rohit Sharma congratulated him for playing a good knock!

– The Ro-Ko Moment pic.twitter.com/8nITQ3sgz7

— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) February 12, 2025

However, this knock came as a huge relief after after he was dismissed for just five runs in the second ODI in Cuttack last week.

Regardless of his form, former West Indies captain Chris Gayle said Kohli remains the “best player in the world”.

“He is still the best player in the world regardless of the form, Virat Kohli is still the best player, the stats prove that, how many centuries across formats he has scored as well,” Gayle said on the sidelines of an event.

“It’s just one of those things that we cricketers go through in patches. I know it is coming at the back end of his career as well, but these things do happen, so he just needs to pick himself up and come back again.”

Asked if Kohli can break his record for most number of runs scored in the Champions Trophy, Gayle said, “It is easy for him just to get 200 runs (more to surpass Gayle). I don’t know how many games they will be playing but I am sure he can get over 200 runs, and I am sure he will get a century for sure, so it’s just a matter of time before he goes on to break that record.”

Gayle also called Indian captain Rohit Sharma the “new king in town” after the Mumbaikar broke the Jamaican’s record for most number of sixes in the ODI format.

“Congratulations to Rohit, sports always need a new entertainer and Rohit has been entertaining all these years as well I have done it alongside him. So he is the new king in town now. So congrats to him, and hopefully, he goes on to hit more sixes,” he added.

England endured a horrific India Tour that ended with a 142-run loss against India in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. With the huge loss, the Jos Buttler-led side were clean-sweeped 3-0 in the ODI series. Before that India won the T20I series as well. Former England star batter Kevin Pietersen blasted England’s approach throughout the series. He accused the side of practically not practising at all during the course of the series.

“They had one practice session, the day before the Nagpur game. They had no practice since. Only one batter who had a net was Joe Root. Sorry, but you cannot come to the sub-continent, keep on making the same mistake and then not practice. There is not a single sportsperson who goes into a series and decides ‘I am going to get better without practice.’ I am sorry. I was flabbergasted when I learnt England hasn’t practiced since the first game,” Pietersen said after the third India vs England ODI. 

“I get it. Enjoy yourselves. These are the best time of your life. Play golf. Go out, eat in a beautiful restaurant. But you get paid to score runs. That is why you get paid. You get paid to win games of cricket. You don’t get paid to play golf. This is not a golf tour, this is a cricket tour. You practice so that you leave on a flight tomorrow knowing ‘I have given my everything to win a game of cricket for England’. There not one person in that England dressing room that cane get on a plane tomorrow, may be Joe Root is the only one who tried and practiced…not a single player tried. 

“I am gutted, that I have to say that you can disrespect Indian conditions and India so much. I am absolutely gutted as an Englishman.”

England skipper Jos Buttler admitted his team were outplayed by India in the three-match ODI series which concluded with a 142-run defeat for the visitors at Narendra Modi Stadium here on Wednesday.

England batters heavily struggled against spin throughout their tour of India, which included a 1-4 defeat in the five-game T20I series and will need to make quick changes to their approach ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy set to kick off in Pakistan on February 19.

“Similar to the whole tour, we were outplayed by a fantastic team. Our approach is the right one, it’s just that we haven’t executed well. They put a great score on the board. Shubman played a great innings. We got off to a great start again but it’s a familiar story for us. We need to find a way to bat for longer. We were up against a really good side that keeps challenging us,” said Buttler in the post-game presentation.

The England batters heavily struggled throughout the three-game series with opener Ben Duckett and veteran Joe Root, who returned to the ODI side for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, being the only two English batters to accumulate three-digit scores across the three innings. Many will question the inconsistency on display by their middle-order which struggled against spin on more than one occasion.

With IANS inputs