England blown to bits-and-pieces as part-timers' bowling strategy backfires

From the moment that Matthew Breetzke shimmied outside leg and launched Jacob Bethell over extra cover for six, it was clear that England had a major problem at Lord's. They have persisted with an unbalanced side throughout Harry Brook's short tenure as ODI captain and this was the day that it truly came back to bite them.

England got away with picking only four frontline bowlers in Brook's first series as captain, but that was against a poor West Indies side who failed to qualify for the last World Cup. South Africa were cold and clinical at Lord's: Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis seized their chance to take Bethell and Will Jacks down, knowing that Brook was running out of resources.

In fact, South Africa might have done England a favour: in taking 112 runs from the 10 overs split by Bethell and Jacks, they proved that their selections were fundamentally flawed. It is not a slight on either individual player to say that they are being asked to do a job they are not cut out for: Jacks' economy rate across five ODIs this year is 8.80, and Bethell's is 9.06.

"With our batting line-up, this is what we set up for: we want to try and chase them big scores," Brook told the BBC. "That's why we set the team up as it is: to get within one blow of that score today was a very good effort." His logic was circular, ignoring the fact that Bethell and Jacks had conceded so many runs that their combined contribution of 97 off 73 still wasn't enough.

England clearly like the buffer of a frontline batter at No. 7: "Imagine having us five-down and Will Jacks comes out to bat?" Brook said earlier this summer, and he saw Jacks' 49 - in a 143-run partnership with Joe Root - in a tight win over West Indies in Cardiff as vindication. The trouble is that the runs he has scored have been outweighed by those he has conceded.

It was a calculated takedown from South Africa at Lord's, recognising that they could afford to play out Adil Rashid (2 for 33) and cash in elsewhere. "He was bowling really well and the conditions suited him," Breetzke said. "We just had to sort of suck it up and see what we could get from him - and then, from the other guys, look to score a little bit more freely."

Balance has been an issue that has stalked England's ODI team ever since they lifted the World Cup six years ago. In the 2015-19 cycle, Ben Stokes played in 71 of their 99 ODIs and bowled an average of 5.1 overs per match; in the 2019-23 cycle, he played in 19 out of 51 and bowled 1.4 overs per match. His international white-ball career now appears to be over.

With Moeen Ali retired, England's lack of a genuine allrounder has been costly. At the Champions Trophy, they used a combination of Liam Livingstone and Root as their 'fifth' bowler, with combined returns of 3 for 172 from 26.1 overs; now, they are relying on a pair of spinners who are even more raw in Bethell and Jacks. Curiously, Root remains unused under Brook, even after an India Test summer in which he bowled more overs in a home series (57.1) than ever before.

After a miserable run in 50-over cricket since the last World Cup - they have won just seven of their 22 ODIs in that time - England's focus is on the next one. It is abundantly clear that 10 overs of occasional fingerspin is not going to cut it in many conditions, but especially not on early-season pitches in South Africa in October-November 2027.

If there is a solution - and the nature of international sport is that there may simply not be a satisfactory one - then it must involve a seam-bowling allrounder who can bat in the top seven. England have attempted to mould Jamie Overton into that player this year, but it is obvious that Sam Curran is the best option that they have available to them.

Curran's ongoing absence from England's teams is not a complete mystery: after his starring role at the 2022 T20 World Cup, he had two quiet years in international cricket in which he struggled to make an impact with the ball. But he has thrived at franchise level this year, particularly with the bat, and deserves another England opportunity in New Zealand next month.

The suspicion remains that Brendon McCullum simply does not rate him. Curran has not been selected by England in any format with McCullum as coach, and sought assurances from him earlier this year amid concerns that he does not "fit the mould" of what England are looking for. He was told that his route back in is simple: "It's just performing, with bat and ball," Curran said.

Balance is not the only reason that England find themselves 2-0 down in this series, leaving them with eight defeats in 11 ODIs this year. Their core of multi-format players look burned out after a gruelling summer - not least Ben Duckett, whose 14 from 33 balls at Lord's continued a desperate downturn since his stand-out performances in the India Tests. Their highest individual score is 61, and their bowlers have not taken a wicket in the first 10 overs.

But it is emblematic of a wider issue, as was Brook's response, after England's thrashing at Headingley on Tuesday, that boiled his desired style of play down to: "Go out there and bang it." England are attempting to replicate the style of Eoin Morgan's ODI team, but without any substance to back it up.