News : Cricket World Cup: England lose to Australia


News :

Cricket World Cup: England lose to Australia


So they came after all, the boos. Finally, he has retired, may the English middle-aged men have thought in their expensive shirts, before they started to sneer and wave a few extra loud verbal greetings to the controversial Australian batsman David Warner sent.

The old stereotype of picnic basket-wearing cricket fans is not always true. The fans of the English national cricket team, the "Barmy Army", with their often hundreds of voices male chorus, can compete with any other fan group in the world. But until then it was surprisingly quiet on this summer's day in London. Since snacks were eaten, it was palavert and applauded friendly.

It seemed like it took a moment to play the cricket World Cup between England and Australia's arch rival until the fans woke up until they finally shouted and made the glasses ring. But even after the departure of Warner nothing changed in the defeat of the English.

The coaching clubs have a solid look in the London Cricket Stadium

Paul Childs / REUTERS

The coaching clubs have a solid look in the London Cricket Stadium

It seemed England, the motherland of the Cricket, before this World Cup finally arrived at the level of five-time World Champion Australia. Not a few saw England, which has never won a World Cup, as a favorite at the home tournament, even after the team had previously harder than expected. A victory against archrival Australia and everything would have been in the balance.

Only four years ago, at the 2015 World Cup, the ridicule was high on the portly English team, which did not even manage to win against the otherwise winless Afghanistan. But since then, England has not only caught up, but has even made it to the top of the world rankings. Above all, the once structurally conservative Englishman now play modern, exciting cricket.

England is no longer just smiled in cricket because of its supposed largesse. Rather, the country has reached the status that it should have anyway with its financial strength: As a third major crickets next to India and Australia. The only thing missing is a title. Rarely have the signs been as good as this year, especially in comparison to the old colony of Australia. This has not only been in a form-low for a long time, but has been struggling with a full-blown identity crisis for a year now.

Australia dominated the game against England

Alastair Grant / AP

Australia dominated the game against England

In a match against South Africa last March, Australian captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner had stopped one of the team's youngest, Cameron Bancroft, from manipulating the ball. Even Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull was forced into a public condemnation, the story was also discussed in non-cricket countries. They seemed to reveal a lot about the diluted meaning of the Australian sports actually inherent fair plays. For many it was clear: The winning machine Australia is ready to do everything for success.

This was followed by an unusually large number of defeats, also due to a one-year ban on Smith and Warner. They are back in the team since spring. Not only by the English spectators on Tuesday they were booed. Many in the cricket scene turn up their noses. Probably also because the two are again part of an efficient Australian team in this tournament. Also in the preliminary round victory against England on Tuesday, Smith and Warner played the lead roles.

Although England still has realistic chances to win the title at the World Cricket Championship, not only her singing fans, who are becoming increasingly desperate during the day, have had an all-too-familiar feeling. Because it seems that even during a time when everything speaks for England, there can only be one winner: the archrival Australia.


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