With the World Cup finally winding down, England are one game away from being able to call time on their torrid tournament. Having won two games in total, the only real consolation to take is that England have likely done just enough to sneak into the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Unsurprisingly the main topic of conversation right now is what to do next, three main plans stand out.
Plan A: The Nuclear Option
The first plan is the one recently hinted at by Moeen Ali, and is the nuclear option of scrapping nearly the whole team. With most of the team the wrong side of 30, the idea here is that youth will hold the answer to England’s struggles.
As an argument, there is a clear emotional pull here. Many went into this World Cup expecting to see England compete until the very end, so there is a very real sense of disappointment to have witnessed such a failure. The kneejerk response to this is to have a full overhaul.
In terms of England’s youth, there is certainly plenty to be excited about when it comes to white ball batting. Standout names include Will Jacks, Phil Salt, and recent interim captain Zak Crawley. Keeping Harry Brook from the World Cup, you could certainly name a formidable top six on paper.
The issue with this plan is when it comes to drafting in a new bowling attack. Whilst Rehan Ahmed is an obvious choice for the frontline spinner, the current fast bowling reserves are not particularly deep. Players like Potts, Scrimshaw, and Turner have all shown potential, but it would be a very big ask to throw them all in at the same time.
As valuable as an injection of youth can be, it would be remiss to expect them all to hit the ground running.
Plan B: Keep Calm and Carry On
At the other end of the spectrum is to resist the urge to sack everyone and choose to view this as one very bad tournament in isolation. What Plan B believes is that these are still the very best players England can field right now, and until that changes then they keep their spots.
Given many of the current CWC squad have 2+ year central contracts, there is a strong chance that much of the team is kept around in some capacity.
Where this plan struggles is the extent to which we accept that this really is the best team England have to offer. A fair criticism of the last ODI cycle, however disrupted it has been, is that England were not really looking for new faces to make their way into the team.
It has been a four-year period of expecting the same team to offer the same performances, with only retirement to enforce changes. The result is that right now it is quite hard to gauge if anyone else could have done a better job if given the chance to do so.
On top of that, England must make sure that any potential changes for 2027 are not made too late. Whilst holding onto the current team is good for stability in the short-term, it is highly unlikely that all these players make it into the starting lineup for the next World Cup.
The argument becomes that for long-term gain it is better to deal with the transition period now.
Plan C: A Bit of This, A Bit of That
What this brings us to is the most likely and probably most appropriate solution, England keep some fixtures of the team but look to bed in some fresh talent as soon as. With the news coming out that Jos Buttler wants to stay on as captain of the team, we see a chance to refresh but not reset.
As bad a tournament as it has been, I still believe someone as talented as Jos Buttler has plenty to offer the England ODI team in many respects. This relates to performances on the field, but also in terms of helping new faces settle.
Instead of chucking in nine new players and expecting them to click, let England’s young talent pick the brains of the current team. What this ensures is a smooth transition, and to me makes the 2025 Champions Trophy a very important event for England.
Two years from now and two years before the next World Cup, the CT can act as a checkpoint for the England ODI team. By then you would hope to have a team that presents a step up from the 2023 one, but also shows what still needs to be done for 2027.
On top of that, it can create valuable tournament experience to any players brought in. Instead of just throwing them into a World Cup and praying for the best, England can create a proactive but not overambitious plan to get their 50 team back at a competitive level.
Change is certainly necessary after a World Cup as bad as this one, but it would be a mistake to try and start from the beginning.
