World Cup 2023: Key takes accountability for England’s poor event

England’s managing director Rob Key mentioned his choice to prioritise take a look at cricket over one-day internationals performed a job within the facet’s dismal World Cup marketing campaign, including that coach Matthew Mott has his “full backing”.

Defending champion England, led by captain Jos Buttler, suffered six defeats in its first seven matches of the event and didn’t qualify for the semi-finals, ending in seventh place within the factors desk.

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The early exit places a bitter observe on an in any other case promising 12 months for England, whose extremely entertaining and aggressive “Bazball” strategy in take a look at matches has earned it plaudits.

“It’s hard for me to be critical of Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott when I’m the one who, every single time the decision has been made for whether or not we focus on 50-over cricket, test cricket or T20, I’ve always chosen test cricket,” Key advised reporters on Sunday.

“I made the mistake of thinking that actually it will be all right when we get there and that’s not been the case.

“You sort of made the assumption that, without playing lots of 50-over cricket, actually this is such a good team that will just slip into old habits and away we go.”

Key added that white-ball coach Mott, who was appointed in May final 12 months, wanted to get the crew “playing to its potential”.

“We’ll have some pretty honest conversations and say, ‘Right, what are you going to do to improve this?’? But he gets my full backing and an opportunity to try and turn it around,” Key mentioned of Mott.

“This actually should be the making of those two as a partnership,” he mentioned, referring to Mott and Buttler.

“If it isn’t, it isn’t, and you move on but we have to make sure some good comes out of what has been a very poor World Cup.”

England subsequent faces the West Indies in a multi-format sequence that includes three ODIs from December 3-9 and 5 T20s from December 12-21.