Over the last 4 years in between World Cups it looks as though the One day format of 50 overs has been neglected by every country and why we are seeing such a bag of mixed results.
The Cricket World Cup being held in India is winding it's way to the semi final stages with a handful of games left before that happens. What has been very noticeable is how many of the favorite teams have under performed losing games they would normally be expected to win. The lack of preparation and planning for this event is clear to see and this has to change for the next World Cup in 2027.
England the defending Champions from 2019 have had a shocking tournament even though they have a balanced team that hasn't had many changes over the last few years. The conditions are the same for all the teams so that is not an excuse as everyone knew what types of pitches to expect.
The only difference from 2019 is how much more T20 cricket is played compared to the one day 50 over format. 20 years ago the 50 over game was the most popular event and that has now been surpassed by the T20 format being 20 overs. There seems to be less and less 50 over day games being played which is not surprising to se certain teams falling away.
When England won the 2019 World Cup they had played 88 one day 50 over games which was a decent build up to winning the World Cup. The number of games played between 2019 and 2023 has only been 36 which is 52 games less and not a surprise why players are struggling with this format.
The players have to be in tune with the middle overs between 15 and 40 overs managing the run rate required. In the T20 format there is no need to manage this as it is over so quickly and no time to play yourself in so it is hitting out from ball one.
Every team has played less one day cricket compared to the last 4 year build up and only India have dropped ever so slightly having completed 66 matches. England's difference of 52 matches less plus the other teams also down by more than half shows where the importance lies and where the money is being spent. The teams have definitely neglected this World Cup and has now given them food for thought if they want to compete next time around.
The likes of Afghanistan and the Netherlands have come into serious contention due to the dropped standards by the bigger teams. This should never be the case as maybe one upset could be possible but this time we have seen so many already. England who have already been knocked out were one of the favorites and have only managed to win one game out of 7 games whilst Afghanistan has won 4.
India out in front unbeaten is and was expected due to playing at home in their own conditions. Home advantage in the sub continent is a massive advantage, but they also have played nearly double the number of matches in the 50 over format compared to the other teams.
There has been an argument in the past that players who play Test Cricket ( 5 day game) should be different to those that play 50 over cricket and justifiably so. I would ay that there is an argument for a difference ins election from T20 and the 50 over game due to the subtle differences and mindset required. The bowing and batting skills are so different for each format with players having to play differently.
