ICC World Cup 2015: Jokes and Jabs Galore as England Batting Goes Down and Under
After their embarrassing defeat to Australia in the World Cup opener on February 14, England's batting collapsed horribly against New Zealand on Friday to unite fans and critics in venting their frustrations.
England batting crumbled once again in the face of determined bowling in World Cup 2015. After their lackluster performance against Australia in the opener, the Three Lions were destroyed by a Kiwi pace attack led by Tim Southee at Wellington on Friday. England scored 123 and lost the match by eight wickets. Little surprise then that dejected fans joined staunch critics in slamming the performance of Eoin Morgan's team. (Complete coverage of World Cup 2015)
Opting to bat first against New Zealand after failing to chase Aussie target earlier, England's batting looked horribly woeful. Wickets fell at a dizzying pace with Southee finishing with seven for 33 - the best ODI figures for Kiwis ever. This was also the second-best ODI bowling performance against England.(Also read: Brendon McCullum slams fastest World Cup fifty against England)
While 26-year-old was Southee praised on Twitter, the ire against England's application soon took over. "England collapsed like a monk in a strip club. This is worse than Scotland,"wrote a fan. "Four slips! Not sure why! Maybe to collect the ball quicker because Eng not hitting only snicking," wrote another. "ICC! Get rid of minnows England next World Cup, pretty please!" (Match scorecard | Match highlights)
Not just fans but even some cricket experts and former players ripped into the English team - some even tweeting during the innings. "Scotland lost the toss, were asked to bat first and still managed 142 v NZ. England won the toss, batted first and scored 123,"tweeted former India player Aakash Chopra. Noted commentator Harsha Bhogle too wrote his thoughts on the horrid batting. "If you ever thought cricket was an easy game see what fear has done to Stuart Broad's batting!" he tweeted after Broad - who once made 169 in Tests - fell for four. (Related: British press flays national cricket team)
Other notable views:
"Scratching my head, but reckon this must be the most one sided international cricket match I've seen...."
- Ex-England fast bowler, now BBC broadcaster, Jonathan Agnew on Twitter.
"England can't get any worse,"
- Former Australia captain Allan Border on TV commentary.
"Kiwis beat Poms with 226 balls to spare by eight wickets. A day-night game that ends with nightfall a long way off."
- Australia's FOXCricketLive on Twitter (More here)