'You Call Yourselves World Champions?' - Ravi Shastri Hammers England
England lost by 100 runs vs India [AP Photo]
Ravi Shastri rubbed salt into England's wounds by lambasting their disastrous ICC World Cup 2023 campaign following a defeat against tournament hosts India on Sunday (October 29) in Lucknow.
As the Jos Buttler-led side got hammered by a whopping margin of 100 runs despite being set a target of 230, the former India head coach took the Englishmen to the task and even raised a question mark on their "world champions" status.
The experienced commentator highlighted England's successive collapses and insufficient bowling efforts in losing four consecutive times and going down on five occasions in their six league matches of the competition.
The resounding win over a struggling Bangladeshi outfit remains England's only triumph of the competition, either side of which they have been pulverized by New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and now India in a disastrous campaign.
Shastri Calls Out England's Lacklustre Display
Shastri said England supporters would be feeling "devastated" by the team's horrific display against India on the back of similar losses to Sri Lanka and South Africa. Not only has England's vulnerable bowling unit conceded above-par scores but their powerpacked batting line-up has also surrendered to quality opposition attacks.
"England should be devastated – spectators, supporters. Because the first match which they lost, 17 overs were left in the game when New Zealand beat them. Against South Africa, they got all out in 20 overs. That game ended early," Shastri said.
"Then they were all out in 30 overs against Sri Lanka, where SL chased the target and finished the match in 25 overs. Today, they had lost 8 wickets inside 32 overs. You call yourselves World Champions? It means, if they aren't sad over their performance, who will?"
Shastri also underlined the stark contrast between India and England after Rohit Sharma's men retained their winning streak past the defending champions.
He said, "If someone asks what is the difference between India and England, it is of 8 teams", referring to England's embarrassing wooden spooners spot in the ten-team competition after six matches. England next take on arch-rivals Australia in Ahmedabad on November 4.
 "Kashish Chadha")
