“When you’re not playing the 50-over format….’ – Joe Root’s shocking comments after their back-to-back losses in ODI World Cup 2023

The England cricket team is all set to lock horns against Sri Lanka in the fifth game of the ODI World Cup 2023 on October 26 at M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bangalore. Notably, the Jos Buttler-led side currently places themselves in the last spot after the Afghanistan side recorded a great win over Pakistan on October 23 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The English set-up has lost three straight matches out of four in the ongoing marquee event. The side has lost against New Zealand, South Africa, and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, England’s star cricketer, Joe Root, has revealed that his team has not played 50 overs since the 2019 ODI World Cup. However, the top-order batsman clarified that he is not giving an excuse for reiterating such remarks for their back-to-back losses in the ODI World Cup 2023.

“I don’t want it to be seen as an excuse. It would have been nice to have a proper run-in over a six-month period, where you slowly work things through as a group. A further issue, when you’re not playing the format, it’s hard to know who the best players are,” Joe Root said.

There’s no magic pill that you can swallow overnight to improve performance: Joe Root

Joe Root further says that it’s unfair to compare the captaincy of Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler. The stylish right-handed batsman says that the white ball format culture was completely different back in 2019 as compared to the current year. In addition, the 32-year-old cricketer feels Jos Buttler has also made a great contribution to their side’s success. Moreover, the Yorkshire-born cricketer reiterated that there are no such magic pills that can be swallowed to improve performance overnight.

“The way Morgs instilled a completely different culture, and the way we looked at white-ball cricket, was a once-in-a-generation bit of thinking. For Jos to be compared to that I think is a little unfair. I think he’s done an incredible job in the time he’s had, and the performances that the players have put in are not a fair reflection of his leadership. There’s no magic pill that you can swallow overnight to improve performances,” he added further.