England's Ben Stokes leaves the field after being dismissed. Photo / AP
England's Ben Stokes leaves the field after being dismissed. Photo / AP
Cricket World Cup favourites England suffered a blow to their campaign after falling to an upset defeat to Pakistan overnight.
The ever-unpredictable Pakistan ended a run of 11 straight losses in one-day internationals by beating the top-ranked hosts by 14 runs in a thriller at Trent Bridge.
England's performance wasfar from a disaster, with Jos Buttler and Joe Root both contributing centuries to help their side put up a decent chase of 9-334 in reply to Pakistan's target of 349.
But the notoriously harsh UK media didn't hold back in its assessment of the team, in particular their horror performance in the field. Here's how the media reacted:
"The problem was a miserable, error-laden performance in the field which gifted Pakistan so many runs that even England's blazing batsmen couldn't make up the deficit," Etheridge wrote.
"Suddenly, after the euphoria of Ben Stokes' catch and a crushing win over South Africa in their World Cup opener, Eoin Morgan's men face a mini-crisis.
"They sure can't afford many more mishaps against teams they are expected to beat.
"And, to make matters worse, Morgan could be banned from England's next two matches because of his team's snail-paced over-rate.
"England's blundering effort in the field was almost impossible to understand because they were so brilliant against the Proteas last Thursday.
"It was their most butterfingered performance for many years."
'Bold, maddening Pakistan'
By Jonathan Liew of The Independent
"With fire in their bellies and ice in their veins, a magnificent Pakistan team spectacularly snatched England's aura from them," Liew wrote.
"Indeed, perhaps the most surprising aspect of this game was the way that Pakistan played like England and England played like Pakistan.
"From the ruthless enterprise of Imad Wasim and Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order, to the supreme hitting of Mohammed Hafeez and Sarfraz in the middle, to the relentlessly accurate bowling and immaculate fielding, this was a complete performance from Pakistan, a team bundled out for just 105 at this very same venue just three days ago.
"But then, what other team could have crashed England's party like this, at their favourite venue, having lost 4-0 to them just a few weeks ago?
"It had to be Pakistan: bold, maddening Pakistan, who on a good pitch with a quick outfield seized the initiative with a big score and then, roared on by their sizeable support, never let it slip.
"The tournament favourites are favourites no longer: five wins out of seven is the equation probably required for Eoin Morgan's side, who know now, if they didn't already, that tournament cricket is a wild animal."
England's Jos Buttler reacts as he leaves the field after being dismissed. Photo / AP
'Ill-disciplined and profligate'
By Ali Martin of The Guardian
"When the typically unflappable Chris Woakes is putting his finger to his lips and shushing a spectator in celebration, you know something is slightly amiss," Martin wrote.
"In the 21st over of Pakistan's innings, after a wonderful diving catch at long-off to remove Imam-ul-Haq, here was Woakes channelling his inner Portuguese football manager in response to apparent heckling from the stands.
"It didn't stop there either; among the huddle of England players that swarmed him Ben Stokes and Jason Roy could be seen offering sarcastic applause in the same direction. Umpires Marais Erasmus and Sundaram Ravi were clearly unimpressed, moving in to settle things down with a word or two.
"The exact nature of what prompted all this was unclear in the immediate aftermath but it still felt strange from a team led by Eoin Morgan. And especially so since the captain had reminded his troops before the World Cup that, despite being hosts, crowds will have the potential to produce an away day feel (and not least against Pakistan, Bangladesh or India).
"Though a minor incident it was symptomatic of a performance in the field that was ill-disciplined and profligate."
'England's fielding was lamentable'
By Scyld Berry of The Telegraph
"England lost because their fielding was lamentable, having been so laudable in their opening game against South Africa. In cricket, the description "hot and cold" is usually reserved for Pakistan but it applied equally to England in the field: from the moment their captain Eoin Morgan misfielded in the game's first over, the hosts unravelled, too much so for Root and Buttler to knit them together again," wrote Berrry.
"Morgan was right to admit that Pakistan had "outfielded" England but under-estimated when he said his side's lapses had cost "15 to 20 runs". Jason Roy's drop, the game's pivotal moment, came when Mohammad Hafeez had scored 14 and he went on to an award-winning 84 off only 62 balls, bolstering a batting side that had been blown away by West Indies only three days before.
"This shoddiness was alarming because it suggested that England, as hosts and favourites, were still inordinately nervous, even after their initial win, and it bodes ill for the knock-out stages when big-match temperaments will be even more necessary."
