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England have been knocked out from the World Cup after losing a match they were heavily favored in, due to a one-off innings which nobody saw coming. Does that ring a bell? This is because it applies to two events involving England which took place almost exactly a year separated: on Wednesday, their 50-over semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their loss in a crucial 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. Was it successful? Let’s look a little more deeply into those two World Cup eliminations. In 2024, England fell to pieces, dropped five catches, and allowed a bish-bash-bosh innings from Qiana Joseph to seal the match. More recently, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – showed why she is one of the world’s best batters. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England held on to it. The trouble was, she had already scored 169 runs by that point.

‘It’s painful’: Edwards looks to next generation after England’s World Cup defeat.

It probably won’t bring 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 already made a difference. From the low point of dropping eight catches 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’s an improvement.

England’s Innings Struggles

The issue arose following Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were capable of chasing down a total of more than 300? Certainly no one outside it did. England’s rapid decline to nought for two and 1/3 provoked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.

“We do need to enhance our batting performance – I don’t think it’s been reliable at times,” Edwards said after the match. This highlights the problem. There have been multiple 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 the new normal in women’s ODI cricket: in order to compete with the world’s best, England need a batting lineup which can realistically aim to exceed that milestone. But when only Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a track record of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.

Partnership Efforts

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 300-run mark, because Wolvaardt had faith in the batters following her and felt she had enough freedom to hit out. “Knowing what we still had in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she explained to Sky Sports.

Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the sole consistent performers to deliver regularly during the tournament.

Managerial Decisions

When Edwards was appointed in April, her dilemma was whether to stick or twist: she chose to allow an veteran team who had struggled previously one last shot at World Cup glory. This proved incorrect. England return home with the worst of both worlds: empty-handed, and with no foundations on which to rebuild over the next four years. Five of their top six from the semi-final are unlikely to play in another 50-over World Cup.

A change of approach is now imminent, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the conclusion of a phase,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”

Upcoming Talent

It’s about time: time to look seriously at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the young wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the teenage spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

The nagging worry is that it might already be too late: England’s latest round of central contracts were finalized on 1 October. The cricket board has not yet published a full list of retained athletes, 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 sweep was built – time for Edwards to demonstrate that she is committed to preventing their return.