England vs Netherlands, World Cup 2023: Already-eliminated teams shift focus towards Champions Trophy qualification

With both teams having been eliminated from the 2023 World Cup, England and Netherlands will now switch focus towards fighting for a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy apart from playing for pride. The two teams lock horns in a World Cup league stage match in Pune on Wednesday.

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England are currently languishing at the bottom of the 10-team points table with just two points. Netherlands, meanwhile, are in ninth place with four points. The top seven teams from the World Cup, apart from hosts Pakistan, qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy, a tournament that is returning after an eight-year absence.

The 33-run loss to arch rivals Australia on Saturday was the final nail in the coffin for England. While the Dutch are also officially out of the race.

Champions four years ago, England have hit rock-bottom in this edition. No England team has ever lost so many games at a World Cup. Whatever could go wrong has gone wrong for the Three Lions and they are no longer favourites even against Netherlands.

To avoid the ignominy of missing the cut for the prestigious Champions Trophy, England must win their remaining two fixtures against the Netherlands and Pakistan.

But that’s easier said than done as both confidence and form has deserted the ageing England side, which looked extremely dangerous on paper.

The batting unit has failed miserably. Openers Jonny Bairstow and David Malan have struggled to give the kind of start expected of them while Joe Root’s famed consistency too has deserted him. Skipper Jos Buttler and the big-hitting Liam Livingstone are also woefully out of form.

For England to win, their batters need to fire.

The England bowling unit has performed a touch better but it is one dimensional and lacks variety. The English bowlers have been inconsistent and have struggled in the Indian conditions. Ben Stokes, who is playing as a specialist batter, not rolling his arm has compounded their woes.

With Stokes set to undergo knee surgery and David Willey retiring from international cricket after this tournament, there have been calls to give the likes of youngsters Harry Brook and Sam Curran game time.

The Dutch will be eager to pounce on England’s frailties.

For the Netherlands, it is the golden opportunity to stake claim to the Champions Trophy spot.

The ‘Orange Army’ has arguably overachieved having secured wins over the high-flying South Africa and Bangladesh at this World Cup.

A victory against England would perhaps be the crowning glory of their wonderful campaign.

Packed with a group of all-rounders, the Netherlands have shown they are capable of winning.

Their top order and bowling department need to be more consistent.

The Netherlands may be tempted to recall Vikramjit Singh after promoting Wesley Barresi to the opening slot in the game against Afghanistan didn’t work.

Squads:

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c & wk), Colin Ackermann, Wesley Barresi (wk), Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Ryan Klein, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren and Vikramjit Singh.

Match Starts: 2pm IST.

With PTI inputs