England’s performance in the Champions Trophy 2025 was underwhelming, marked by another group stage elimination in a major ICC tournament. Their defeat by Afghanistan confirmed their exit, adding to a streak of six consecutive ODI losses, including a 0-3 series defeat against India. Cricket experts, including Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin, have heavily criticized the England team. Ashwin specifically called out Harry Brook’s performance.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin commented on Brook, stating, “Their batting lacks a consistent plan. Harry Brook was promoted as a next-generation star, but his game is also faltering. He’s now facing significant pressure to deliver match-winning innings.”
Ashwin also criticized England’s mindset, referencing Ben Duckett’s comment after the India series. Duckett had previously suggested that losing to India 0-3 was acceptable as long as they won the Champions Trophy.
“This reflects their mentality. Do they think winning a major competition final is so straightforward?” Ashwin questioned.
This Champions Trophy marks the second consecutive 50-over tournament where England has failed to reach the knockout stage, following their poor performance in the 2023 World Cup where they finished seventh out of ten teams.
Ashwin further expressed concern about England’s approach during the ‘Bazball’ era.
He highlighted Jos Buttler’s post-match interview after the Afghanistan loss, where Buttler candidly questioned his future leadership aspirations.
Ashwin stated, “I still feel England treats sub-continental tours as merely a formality. It’s time for England to seriously reconsider their approach.”
“England needs to retrospectively analyze what has occurred during this Bazball generation,” he added.
In the match against Afghanistan, England failed to chase a target of 326, despite maintaining a good run rate for much of the innings. Consistent loss of wickets at crucial moments led to their second successive ODI defeat to Afghanistan in ICC tournaments.
England’s poor form extended prior to the Champions Trophy, with a 2-1 ODI series loss to the West Indies and a subsequent defeat to India in India.
Once holding both the T20 and ODI World Cup titles simultaneously, England’s white-ball cricket performance has significantly declined.
