With Monday’s loss to Bangladesh, England have been eliminated from the Cricket World Cup, with one group game still to come. The result proved to be a summary of a disappointing tournament for England, who have only managed one win so far (against minnows Scotland) in five games.

It was always going to be difficult for the Lions, as their first two group matches came against the two co-hosts – Australia and New Zealand. In both games, England posted tame totals and never really looked like a side eager to win. Whether some of the players were still having nightmares about the 2013-14 Ashes, or the triangular series right before the World Cup, remains to be seen, but England seemed to behind the 8-ball right away.

They righted the ship to a degree against Scotland, although a loss would’ve been akin to a Major League Baseball club losing to one of its minor league affiliates. Then came the group match against Sri Lanka. The two had met in the 2011 quarterfinals (in Sri Lanka), with England batting first and posting a decent total. But the bowlers’ inability to take wickets allowed Sri Lanka to cruise to a 10-wicket victory, and four years later it was a case of déja vu. England did well to make over 300, but again their bowlers failed to get enough wickets to put the opponents under pressure, as Sri Lanka cruised to a win.

Monday’s match against Bangladesh was a “do or die” situation for England, and batting second with a target of 276, they crumbled down the stretch to finish 260. One analyst has called this the “worst performance in England’s ODI history,” saying the current format of the World Cup makes it very difficult for the Lions to go out this early. Yet they did, and now there are questions galore about where the team goes from here.

Several positives can be taken from this, though. As mentioned earlier, England played both co-hosts in 2015; they also faced all three co-hosts in 2011. In those five total matches, they lost four and tied once. With the 2019 World Cup being held in England, they will have an advantage of playing in a familiar environment. Also, their final group match comes Friday against Afghanistan, a game that England was always expected to win handily. Now that there’s no pressure, with the team’s fate already sealed, fans might see England adopt a “nothing-to-lose” mentality, one that could have served them well in earlier games. Also, it gives one more chance for some of the younger players to gain valuable experience Down Under (a lot of them have already played in the previous matches), and prepare them for what to expect in four years.

What’s your take on another disappointing result for England in an international sporting event? Leave a comment below!