As World Cup title defences go, it could not really have turned out any worse.
England’s 50-over shambles in India last autumn was up there with France’s defence of the Football World Cup in 2002 when Les Blues were dumped out in the first round without scoring a goal.
The England cricket team’s 2023 World Cup was full of goals – own goals. It felt like they were consistently booting balls into their own net in some perverse and unconscious act of self-sabotage.
