England’s trials at Cricket World Cup are a reminder of fine line between success and failure

Inevitably, news that Sir Bobby Charlton’s journey on earth has ended provokes memories of the 1966 football World Cup.

It also stimulates thoughts as to how conquering teams are built, sustained and decay.

After England’s success in 1966, a commonly held view is that it should not have been beaten in the quarter finals by Germany in Mexico in 1970. An understandable but fatal substitution of Bobby Charlton, coupled with the need to replace first-choice goalkeeper Gordon Banks, suddenly stricken by food poisoning, contributed to an extra-time defeat.

In 13 football World Cups since 1970, England’s best performances have been two fourth-place finishes, in 1990 and 2018. The winners have been limited to six countries — Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France and Spain. The first three of these countries had been winners prior to 1966. England’s football has consistently fallen short of the highest pinnacle.

The performance of the England men’s cricket team in World Cups has been better, although comparisons are dangerous. The number of competing teams at World Cups is fewer, the structure is different. England’s achievement of simultaneously holding both the T20I and ODI World Cups is unparalleled. However, it looks likely to lose grip on the ODI Cup won in 2019, if the first four-match performances are an indicator of what is to come.

Last Saturday’s match pitched two teams against each other, England and South Africa, both digesting shock defeats. Who could bounce back the fastest? There was a clear winner. England chose to field in sweltering conditions and its bowlers were mercilessly flayed by South Africa’s batters, who totalled 399 for seven. England’s cause was not helped by a finger injury to its most