It is sweet that they are trying. But is a World Cup really where we want to see teams like this? Too many uncompetitive matches make it look bad.
Maybe they should stick to playing sides who are their level and come back when they have improved. But that is enough about England.
The world champions have made a dismal attempt at defending their title in India. England have four guaranteed matches left in the World Cup despite being useless.
They still have a mathematical chance to make the semi-finals, but even they accept it is far-fetched. “It’s over now, I think,” Matthew Mott, their coach, said on the BBC after their latest embarrassment at the hands of Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. “I’m not a mathematician, but with our net rate and too many teams who are going to take games off each other, we have to come to terms with that from now we’re playing for a lot of pride.” Jos Buttler led them to the T20 World Cup title last year, but he is already feeling insecure. “If you're asking if I should still be captain of the team, that's a question for the guys above me,” Buttler said.