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England have been eliminated of a World Cup after losing a match they were heavily favored in, thanks to a one-off innings which nobody saw coming. Sound familiar? This is because it describes two incidents involving England which took place almost exactly a year apart: recently, 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 thorough analysis which was meant to change everything. Was it successful? Time to delve a little more closely into those two World Cup eliminations. In 2024, England collapsed, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a aggressive batting display from Qiana Joseph to seal the match. In the latest match, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – demonstrated why she is among the elite in cricket. She gave precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England held on to it. Unfortunately, she had accumulated 169 runs by that point.

‘It’s painful’: The coach turns to next generation after England’s World Cup drubbing.

This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she flies home from her first World Cup in charge – she is a results driven coach, and a loss is a loss. But she has already made a difference. From the low point of multiple fielding errors in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, half a year on England held on to more chances this World Cup than any other team. That’s an improvement.

England’s Innings Struggles

The problem was what came after Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were able to reach a total of more than 300? Undoubtedly no one outside it did. England’s collapse to 0/2 and one for three provoked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.

“We do need to improve our batting – I don’t think it’s been consistent enough at times,” Edwards said after the match. This highlights the problem. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: a portion 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 surpass 300 runs. But when nobody except Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a history of consistently scoring meaningful runs, well, you do the maths.

Collaborative Innings

Capsey’s century stand with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final wasn’t entirely pointless – Capsey showed that she can bat sensibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was insufficient to win the game. Compare and contrast with South Africa, who were able to score 117 runs from their last 10 overs, exceeding the magic 300, because Wolvaardt had faith in the batters coming in below her and felt she had the liberty to attack. “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 only England batters to deliver regularly during the tournament.

Coaching Dilemmas

When Edwards was appointed in April, her dilemma was whether to maintain or change: she chose to allow an veteran team who had struggled previously one last shot at World Cup glory. She got it wrong. 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 probably not featuring in another 50-over World Cup.

A change of approach is now approaching, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the end of an ODI cycle,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”

Future Prospects

It’s about time: time to look seriously at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the young wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

A persistent concern is that it might be overdue: England’s latest round of central contracts were finalized on 1 October. The cricket board has not yet released a full list of contracted players, but it isn’t difficult to work out that the current World Cup squad are the main beneficiaries.

The Path Ahead

Lack of progress and overconfidence were the dual enemies on which the Ashes sweep was built – time for Edwards to signal that she is serious about preventing their return.