Cricketing Nations At The Turn Of The Century (England)

The co-founders of the game and one of the leading nations in the sport up to 90s have had a disastrous decade. The 92 WC final can be regarded as their only notable achievement in the last 10 years.

From the inception of ODI cricket in the 70s England have produced some of the greatest players of all time. Amongst them Graham Gooch and Ian Botham can truly be regarded as hall of fames. Gooch's aggressive batting provided impetus and enhanced the team's performance.

When he became captain he inspired the team to reach the finals of the 92 WC. His attacking bating and quick thinking and great inspirational qualities made England a force to be reckoned with. He managed to guide new players to change into great and match winning ones. Alec Stewart can as one such player who was supported by Gooch in his early days.

He was a courageous player who was never daunted by the enormity of the task ahead of him. Even when he played the mighty West Indies at the top of their game he was not intimidated by them and faced them with class and bravery. Now no longer part of the game he has left behind a legacy, which will live on for many years to come. Ian Botham was perhaps the greatest all rounder the world has ever seen. He after Gary Sobers was the only player to achieve both batting and bowling brilliance. He was the first man to complete a double that is taking 200 wickets and scoring 2000 runs in his career. Furthermore he did it in both forms of the game. Winning matches single-handed for his team he can certainly be regarded as one of England's greatest ever.

With such great players in the past one would expect the trend to continue but unfortunately this has not been so for the British. In the last 10 years they lost all the prestigious Ashes series and failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the last two World Cups. This has dented the team's performance and now they are greatly regarded as under dogs against most teams. Changing captains and team members has never really given the nation a chance to prove it's worth on the international scene. Having one of the best domestic set-ups in the world but still not being able to produce match winners is a problem many have been unable to solve.

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