WATCH: Disappointed with giving away 20 runs in one over against Afghanistan, Sam Curran pushed the camera away
In the 2018 ICC Cricket World Cup, England has had an average start. On Sunday, October 15, they lost to Afghanistan in Delhi, which made their start much worse. The players' expressions and on-field behaviours betrayed their anger.
Who thought that four years after winning the World Cup in 2019, England would travel back in time to play as they did in 2015, whose debacle sparked the white-ball revolution that has dominated how they have played in the following eight years, particularly in ODIs?
England lost the tournament opener against New Zealand in Ahmedabad before easily defeating Bangladesh in Delhi on Sunday, October 15, as the defending champions don't look like the team and aren't playing with the approach and mindset they've been preaching for the last eight years.
The dissatisfaction and annoyance could be seen on the players' faces and in their actions, and one particular moment summed it up for England when Afghanistan got out to a fast start in the powerplay.
Sam Curran, the tournament's unimpressive all-rounder, had another bad game with both bat and ball.
#CWC2023 Sam Curran gets physical with the cameraman. pic.twitter.com/ilSSUrRO2I
— Alan Owen (@alanbowen) October 15, 2023
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was going all guns blazing in the powerplay, and Curran was on the receiving end of it.
Curran delivered a no-ball before giving up a pair of boundaries and a six to allow Afghanistan to score 20 runs in the ninth over. Curran was naturally irritated, and his rage was directed towards the cameraman.
When the camera went too close to Curran on the boundary, the pacer shoved it away. Before he could get away from the all-rounder, the cameraman's hands shook.
Afghanistan produced 284 runs thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 57-ball 80, but the Englishmen were unable to chase it down, with the Afghan spin combination of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi accounting for eight wickets.
England fell short by 69 runs and has now lost two of their three matches in the tournament.