Joe Root in 'awful' scenes as Jos Buttler addresses ugly England cricket truth

A comical dismissal to Joe Root has summed up England's woeful defence of their Cricket World Cup title, despite finally getting off the bottom of the group table with a win over the Netherlands. Ben Stokes belted his first century of the tournament to give England a consolation win over the Dutch and keep them in the running to qualify for the Champions Trophy.

England now sit 7th out of the 10 teams competing at the World Cup and need to finish in the top-eight to book a place in the Champions Trophy. Jos Buttler's side still need to win their final match against Pakistan to save themselves from the further embarrassment of finishing outside the top-eight, having gone into the World Cup as reigning champions.

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Once again England looked far from convincing with the bat against minnows the Netherlands, going from 1-133 to 6-192, before a masterclass from Stokes helped guide his side to a 160-run victory. The England star struck 108 from 84 balls, digging in and occupying the crease at first, before unleashing in a trademark flurry to lift England to an imposing 9-339.

That was always likely to be a struggle for a Dutch side who lacked the firepower to match Stokes and they wilted for 179 all out. While the two points and healthy net run rate boost were a welcome present for England, the "embarrassing" nature of Root's dismissal summed up England's woeful Cup defence.

Joe Root savaged over 'dumbest shot ever'

Root sparked England's mid-order collapse after coming to the crease to partner David Malan, who hit an impressive 87 off 74 balls. Playing what one fan described as the "dumbest shot ever", Root attempted a premeditated reverse scoop - like the one he pulled off in the previous Ashes series - only to misjudge the ball as it went between his legs and hit middle stump.

“He’s got himself into an awful position,” Natalie Germanos said in commentary. “He’s trying to be creative, it is a shot we’ve seen from Root in the past, even in the longer format of the game but this time around he hears the death rattle.”

England captain, coach under the pump despite win

Fortunately for Root, the incident didn't prove costly as Stokes' big-hitting heroics and a late cameo from Chris Woakes (51 off 45) steered England towards a match-winning total. The win has done little to quell the backlash against the England team though, with head coach Matthew Mott and captain Buttler both facing calls to be replaced.

England director of cricket Rob Key has flown to India to start dissecting the side's miserable World Cup campaign. Buttler has made it clear that he wants to lead what will be a much-changed squad when England tour the West Indies next month.

"We can have some good conversations with him and the coach and make a plan for that tour. But, yes, I would like to (stay on as England captain)," Buttler said. "I'm competitive, I want to win any game I play, whether it's a game of cards or a game of cricket.

"So I'm delighted with this win. It's been a frustrating time, not winning games of cricket or playing as well as we'd like, I'm delighted with this win."

Stokes is one player who will not be going to the Caribbean as he heads for a knee operation at the end of the tournament. Despite some critics suggesting he should have been sent home early from India, Stokes said after the Netherlands game that "I don't leave anyone hanging" and Buttler said an early exit was never on the cards.

"He's committed, he wants to play and he wants to put in performances like you saw here," the England skipper added. "Anytime you need someone to stand up when the team's under pressure, he's had a history of always doing that for whoever he's playing for. We're very lucky to have him in the team and I thought his innings today was exceptional."

England's next opponents Pakistan still have a chance to reach the semi-finals, while Buttler's men still need to tie down a top-eight finish to book a Champions Trophy place in 2025.

with agencies

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