Mark Wood bemoaned England’s lack of intensity as they were stunned by Ireland at the T20 World Cup in Melbourne this morning, conceding: “We didn’t deserve to win”.
Ireland’s success, by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, has blown Group 1 of the Super 12 stage wide open, with England skipper Jos Buttler admitting his side are now under huge pressure heading into Friday’s clash with hosts Australia.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl at a rainy Melbourne Cricket Ground, England’s seam attack was taken apart by Ireland’s top order early on, and despite collapsing from 103 for one to 157 all-out, Andy Balbirnie’s side were on top throughout.
“In T20 cricket, if you don’t play well then you can get punished,” said Wood, who was “angry and disappointed” with his own display despite taking three for 34 in another lightning-quick spell.
“It doesn’t have to be the number one team in the world, it can be any team. We were off, they were on and they deserved to win. The first 10 overs, the intensity that we set against Afghanistan wasn’t there and that is what’s most disappointing.
“We set high standards and want to be consistent. To win competitions and be the best in the world, you’ve got to maintain those standards — and today we weren’t at that level.”
England were still 53 runs shy of their original target with only 33 balls left when play was abandoned, but had five wickets in hand, a deep batting line-up and Moeen Ali clicking into top gear.
Having played up his side’s capacity to adapt to conditions in the build-up, however, Buttler refused to blame the weather for the defeat and had no grumble with the umpires’ decision to take the players off.
“[The rain] was going to get heavier and heavier, whether we get one more ball in or not,” he said. “We won the toss and chose to bowl, knowing we’d have the advantage of knowing exactly what we’d have to do with the bat if it did rain, but didn’t take advantage of that.
“They outplayed us in all three facets of the game and the better team won today.”
England face Australia, who also have one win and won defeat from their first two matches, in their third game in only 48 hours’ time. The showdown is now a crucial contest for their qualification hopes, though rain has the potential to further complicate Group 1, with New Zealand’s meeting with Afghanistan today under threat.
“We’ve made a mistake here and that’s put even more pressure on us in a tough group,” Buttler added. “If you needed a game to get up for, then a must-win game, England versus Australia at the MCG, is certainly one of those.”
Captain Balbirnie was Ireland’s hero, his 62 off 47 balls the game’s defining innings as batting proved difficult in bowler-friendly conditions.
“It’s amazing and it’s emotional because we’ve never played a game of cricket here,” Balbirnie said. “To come here and play the tournament favourites, with so many big names, and put on a show in front of friends and family and so many people around the world is very satisfying. To do this at one of the most amazing cricket grounds in the world is pretty special.”
