England not mentally equipped for ODIs

England's 1-6 embarrassment against Australia in the recent ODI series was a reflection of their inability to think on their feet, a consquence of a lack of intensity in county cricket and ordinary bowling and fielding, writes Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph.

England’s batsmen possess talent but appear to lack the guile required to apply it to the rapidly evolving situations you get in one-day cricket. In his book, Duncan Fletcher, England’s former coach, lamented his charges’ inability to think on their feet during matches. Test cricket’s less frenetic pace allows for a more methodical approach and has natural breaks where tactics can be rethought and re-jigged, which helps explain the marked disparity in England’s results over the short and long forms of the game.

In the Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs wonders if it might be the last Champions Trophy and looks at the bleak outlook for England.

Mike Selvey in the Guardian wants readers to spare a thought for Andrew Strauss, who must try to reverse England's form, at 6000ft in Johannesburg, with no warm-up time and only five days after they finished the series 6-1 losers to Australia with a consolation win in Durham.