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England have been eliminated of a World Cup after losing a match they were expected to win, thanks to a surprise performance which took everyone by surprise. Does that ring a bell? This is because it applies to two events involving England which took place almost exactly a year apart: on Wednesday, their 50-over semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their defeat in a must-win group stage match against West Indies in the T20 version.

What Happened Next

During that time, there was a whitewash in the Ashes and a post-series review which was intended to overhaul the system. Did it? Let’s look a little more deeply into those two World Cup exits. In 2024, England fell to pieces, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a bish-bash-bosh innings from Qiana Joseph to win the day. More recently, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – demonstrated why she is among the elite in cricket. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England took it. Unfortunately, she had accumulated 169 runs by that point.

‘This will hurt’: Edwards looks to next generation after England’s World Cup drubbing.

This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she returns from her first World Cup as manager – she is a performance-focused leader, and a loss is a loss. But she has initiated positive changes. From the doldrums of multiple fielding errors in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, six months later England held on to more chances this World Cup than any other team. That is something.

The Batting Collapse

The problem was following Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were able to reach a total of more than 300? Certainly no one outside it did. England’s collapse to 0/2 and one for three sparked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.

“We do need to improve our batting – I don’t think it’s been reliable at times,” Edwards said after the match. Therein lies the concern. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: three of them were hit by Australia, three by India, and two by South Africa. This is now standard in women’s ODI cricket: in order to rival the world’s best, England need a batting lineup which can confidently expect to exceed that milestone. But when only Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a history of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.

Collaborative Innings

Capsey’s century stand with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey showed that she can play responsibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was never going to be enough to win the game. Compare and contrast with South Africa, who were able to add 117 runs from their last 10 overs, surpassing the magic 300, because Wolvaardt had confidence in the batters coming in below her and felt she had the liberty to attack. “Aware of our resources in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she told Sky Sports.

Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the sole consistent performers to score runs consistently during the tournament.

Managerial Decisions

When Edwards was hired in April, her challenge was whether to maintain or change: she chose to allow an veteran team who had bombed in the Ashes one last shot at World Cup glory. This proved incorrect. England return home with the worst of both worlds: without a trophy, and with little basis on which to restructure over the next four years. The majority of the top order from the semi-final are unlikely to play in another 50-over World Cup.

A new strategy is now imminent, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the end of an ODI cycle,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”

Future Prospects

Better late than never: time to look seriously at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the teenage spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

The nagging worry is that it might be overdue: England’s latest round of central contracts were finalized on 1 October. The governing body has not yet released a full list of contracted players, but it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that the existing team are the primary recipients.

The Path Ahead

Stagnation and complacency were the dual enemies on which the Ashes whitewash was built – it’s crucial for Edwards to signal that she is committed to preventing their return.