By Matt Hardy
England captain Jos Buttler lamented the “same old story” as his side fell to a 100-run defeat at the hands of India to leave them bottom of the One-Day Cricket World Cup table.
England managed to restrict a strong India side to just 229 but collapsed in response and could only amass 130 runs.
The result leaves India top of the table, unbeaten from their six matches, while England are rock bottom of the 10 teams.
Buttler’s side can still make the semi-finals but it is unlikely given the reliance necessary on other teams to lose.
“[It is] very disappointing,” the England captain said after the loss to India. “At the halfway stage chasing 230, we fancied ourselves. But it’s the same old story.
“Whatever way you want to approach the game, it is about being committed to that. For me, it was soaking up pressure, building up partnerships and killing pressure.
“It is about executing your skill, chasing 230 there wasn’t scoreboard pressure but we are just falling short. Whatever way we are going for it at the minute.”
England could in fact miss out on qualification for the Champions Trophy – to be held in 2025 – should they finish out of the top eight in the table.
Player of the match India opener Rohit Sharma said: “It was a challenging pitch to start with but it got easier the longer you spent in the middle. We are very happy with the performance.
“It was a great performance and we would take that win any day.”
