ICC World Cup 2015: 5 reasons for England's early exit from the World Cup

England were knocked out of the World Cup yesterday by Bangladesh, and it would be totally disrepectful to the ‘Tigers’ to call this an upset. It was one hell of a contest though; the game swung more times than Anderson’s deliveries did throughout the World Cup.It is sad to see England go out of the tournament so early, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected. The English should have seen it coming more than anybody else. And this trend will continue until England stops chasing its heroes off and starts giving more attention to things other than the Ashes.Let us take a look at where England went wrong in their World Cup campaign:

#1 Pre-tournament selection blunders

England’s World Cup preparation started way before anybody else started theirs. They sacked Kevin Pietersen in February 2014 because Paul Downton, the ECB managing director believed, in his own words, "The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."

I don’t know about ethic, but one cannot think of rebuilding the team by forcing your best player of the era, perhaps of all time, into retirement. Not only were we deprived of watching KP at the international level, but England also failed to qualify for the knockout stages in the World Cup.

The preparation ended with sacking the England captain just before the tournament. You don’t change the captain just before a huge event such as the World Cup, you just don’t! Even if it is the out-of-form-can’t-get-bat-to-the-ball Alastair Cook. Should he have been sacked? Yes, but six months earlier. A captain is not just any other player in the team. The whole team revolves around him. The team is used to his decisions and his style of captaincy.

Above all, he knows the pressure of captaincy. You cannot just pick your best ODI player and make him captain. Ask a certain Sachin Tendulkar. Playing as an individual contributor and playing as a captain are two completely different things. Now, that the World Cup has come to an end for them, they would wonder if Cook had done any worse than Ballance did who replaced him in the squad.

#2 Stuart Broad and Gary Ballance

Stuart Broad, along with James Anderson, was considered to be the spearhead of the English attack, but he could gather just 3 wickets in 5 games. Gary Ballance, on the other hand, failed to retain the balance of this batting order and seems to be another Alastair Cook in the making – excellent in Tests and less than mediocre in ODIs. It is fitting then that he came in the team to replace the one he is aspiring to be.

Both, Broad and Ballance, were involved in two special type of hat-tricks. Stuart Broad went wicket-less in the three consecutive games against New Zealand, Scotland and Srilanka. While Ballance scored exactly 10 runs in the three consecutive innings against Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. A boundary before getting out against Srilanka would have made it four 10s in a row. Bravo!

#3 Dropping Steven Finn against Bangladesh

England knew that the match against Bangladesh was a do-or-die situation for them. They made some changes to the team that according to the captain – Eoin Morgan – were necessary.

We can understand Gary Ballance being replaced by Alex Hales. I mean Ballance scored 36 runs in 4 innings. Sunil Gavaskar scored those many in one match when he wasn’t even interested in batting in that infamous innings of his.

But to drop Steven Finn? Really? I mean you drop a bowler in a do-or-die match who has taken most wickets for you till now (8), has the best bowling figures (5/71), has the best average (25) and has bowled the most maidens (3) for you in this World Cup. And for what? To be replaced by Chris Jordan, who was yet to play a game in the tournament. What were you thinking?

#4 The woes of Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan is undoubtedly the best ODI player in the England side. That is probably why he was trusted with the captaincy after Cook’s sacking just before the World Cup. He was the key player in the inexperienced batting line-up. The scores were to be built around him. \

But alas! His scores in this World Cup read 0-17-46-27-0. When your best batsman scores two ducks in two important chases, the side is bound to get beaten. That is what happened to England in the end.

Was it the pressure of captaincy? Poor form at the wrong time? Nobody will know. But great players find ways in adversities. Morgan did not. It would take some doing to get out of this slump.

#5 A World Cup curse

England and World tournaments don’t go hand in hand.

They lost to The Netherlands in the 2009 T20 World Cup. And again in the 2014 T20 World Cup making it 2-0.

They lost to Ireland despite scoring 327 in the 2011 ODI World Cup in Bangalore when Kevin O'Brien took them apart to register the fastest century in World Cup history.

In the same tournament, they lost to Bangladesh at Chittagong when the hosts completed a spirited chase. They lost to Bangladesh again, yesterday.

The curse that started with Mike Gatting’s infamous reverse sweep in the 1987 World Cup final is still there with England. Someone rightly said,”England need selectors to select the selectors that can select a good England ODI side”. Touché that!