Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, described the possibility of losing to Afghanistan tomorrow as “horrendous” and admitted the World Cup squad have been subdued since their early exit was confirmed three days ago.
Another loss at Sydney may prove the final nail in the coffin for Peter Moores, the head coach, whose position has come under huge scrutiny after England were beaten by Bangladesh in Adelaide.
Moores will have to make at least two changes because of injuries to Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, and it is almost certain that Ravi Bopara will make his first appearance of the tournament to provide the ailing side with balance. Weather may prove a factor with forecasts suggesting a 70 per cent chance of rain through the day.
When asked whether England need a clearout, Farbrace said: “Of course discussions will take place once we get back home. For us now the only focus is on getting the group in a position to beat Afghanistan.
“If losing to Bangladesh the other day was terrible we can’t imagine what it will be like if tomorrow goes against us. That would be horrendous. Our job is to make sure we have clear heads and play proper cricket, play the cricket we have said we wanted to play all the way through.”
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Farbrace described the mood of the past few days as “pretty ordinary”. He said: “We came here saying we wanted to give it a go and really play some exciting cricket and we have not done that.
“I am not sure we have really recovered from the first two games. We got blown away [by Australia and New Zealand] there. There has been a lot said about the tension and nervousness we were playing and with, and it’s hard to argue against that.
“We have to be honest enough to say that glimpses and ‘bits of’ in games are not enough to get you to the next stages. We can have no complaints about the stick we have taken because we have not been good enough.”
Farbrace deflected attention away from Moores, saying that the whole playing and management group should take on a share of responsibility. Moores also found sympathy from Andy Moles, the former Warwickshire batsman, who is head coach of Afghanistan.
“What I see is that England need to have a look at themselves, and there obviously need to be some changes. But I think the big thing is not to rush into anything,” Moles said.
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“They need to take stock, have a look where they are. I personally hear the criticism to Peter, but as a coach, I feel sorry for him. We can do what we can, but ultimately when they cross the line, the players have to do the job.
“That is not to say that Peter’s place won’t come up under scrutiny. He has obviously worked hard, and I hear from the players that they feel that they’ve let him and other people down. But it’s a collective thing.”