England’s white-ball series against South Africa began with a disappointing outcome, as they faced a surprising defeat at Headingley. England batted first and could only score 131, which South Africa chased down comfortably in 30 overs with 7 wickets to spare. Following the loss, Michael Atherton provided a critical analysis, highlighting the need for improvement.
“I think inevitably because of how England have played, that’s the straight line you draw,” Atherton said during Sky Cricket’s post-match analysis.
He added, “If you get beat like that, play like that it’s the obvious angle to take. England have unquestionably been caught cold here. South Africa look like a side that have been playing 50-over cricket. English players have been playing the Hundred. They’ve had no chance for preparation, they’re playing a completely different format, and it looked like it today.”
Atherton also addressed concerns about the hectic schedule, and the rapid format transitions without breaks.
“If you think of players like Root, Brook, Duckett, they’ve come straight from an arduous five-Test series against India, straight into the Hundred, straight here, so you can argue they are over-cricketed in a way,” Atherton stated.
“Your mindset for cricket is not quite in the right place. One thing for me is that one-day cricket is becoming tournament cricket,” Atherton commented. “You have to perform on the day. There is no we will write this off and move on to the next one. How can we still be competitive in this game and not be bowled out for 130?”
The second ODI will be held at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground on Thursday, September 3.