In the build-up to their latest narrow World T20 win, captain Eoin Morgan had called on his team to pull together a complete performance and stick to their plans.
They so nearly did against a Sri Lanka outfit simply not up to scratch right now, but once again, England’s reluctance for ruthlessness was evident as from 15 for four, Lanka shouldn’t have gotten anywhere near England’s target.
Slowly but surely, this England side is trying to piece together a team performance of note that looked a pipe dream when the West Indies dispatched them in the opening match of the competition.
The main concern is the haphazard nature of the bowling attack that has shown glimpses of its potential, but never in unison.
Ben Stokes will continue to run in full of heart but for all his brilliance in Test cricket, his record in T20I cricket is appalling. In 14 matches prior to facing Sri Lanka, Stokes had scored just 123 runs with a high score of 31 and an average of 13.66.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he had chipped in with just five wickets at 57.80 and an economy rate of 9.63.
Backing him up is Chris Jordan, a man who looked more and more out of place on an international cricket field with every over of liquorice allsorts that left his hands but was superb Saturday night.
An economy rate of 8.91 and average of 32.92 in as many matches as Stokes, makes you wonder of his benefits with the ball. England’s selectors would have you believe that Jordan adds value with the bat, but an average of 14.50 suggests otherwise.
Against Sri Lanka, the pair were improved and their death bowling was inspired. David Willey has adapted well and has been England’s standout bowler, his success in domestic cricket transferring on to the international scene better than Reece Topley. Liam Plunkett has since replaced Topley and his initial performances make his early exclusion baffling.
One consistent bright spark for England is that Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have provided some menace and a genuine wickettaking threat that the seamers have largely lacked.
But against Sri Lanka they were found wanting, failing to halt Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapagudera and Thisara Perera when the situation required a more subtle approach to wicket-taking through pressure and patience.
There is no doubt that the batsmen are immensely talented and have adapted well to conditions.
The only blotch is Eoin Morgan who continues to hold on to his place in the side thanks to the armband despite a barren run of form that feels like it’s lasted an eternity bar the sporadic glimpses such as Saturday night’s knock.
No more are England incapable of posting scores above 170, their power and belief highlighted in that stunning win over South Africa. Again, in that case, things should have been far simpler for England were it not for their ineptitude with the white thing you hurl down the pitch.
While they’ve crept up on the outside, teams will be wary of England in semi-finals in both Delhi and Mumbai, where they have good recent record. They do have a good understanding of conditions in both the grounds.
On paper, this England side is well balanced with a variety of options but the bowlers need to catch up with their willow-wielding teammates if they are to go the distance.
If the team clicks then there are few sides capable of stopping England, but questions remain over whether their bowlers can channel any kind of consistency and work as a complete unit.