Key events<\/p>\n
Preamble<\/p>\n
double quotation markThere was a little girl,<\/p>\n
Who had a little curl,<\/p>\n
Right in the middle of her forehead.<\/p>\n
When she was good,<\/p>\n
She was very good indeed,<\/p>\n
But when she was bad she was horrid.<\/p>\n
The little girl with the little curl, the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow\u2019s famous poem, has plenty in common with this England team. They\u2019re a one-day side with two faces, and we saw both during Tuesday\u2019s defeat against Pakistan.<\/p>\n
England seemed to be cruising to victory, only to flunk a 300+ chase for the second time in three games. There\u2019s no need to get carried away \u2013 that\u2019s what social media is for \u2013 but negative patterns are never a good thing for a cricket team, especially when they involve batting collapses. After a largely positive 2026, the tame manner of Tuesday\u2019s defeat was a setback.<\/p>\n
It means today\u2019s match against Sri Lanka is, if not a must-win, then at least a need-to-win. The losers will be bottom of the tri-series at the halfway stage, with nul points and a lot of work to do. May the best team not lose.<\/p>\n