"Overthought conditions a bit" - Robert Key explains the reason behind England's struggles in 2023 World Cup

England men's cricket's managing director, Robert Key, has pointed out that Jos Buttler and co. haven't read the conditions well in the 2023 World Cup. The former middle-order batter admitted that India is an incredibly tough place to play in, given the varied conditions in the country.

The defending champions' World Cup hopes hang by a thread, having lost 3 out of 4 matches in the tournament. England suffered a stunning defeat to Afghanistan, followed by South Africa inflicting a record 229-run loss at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Key underlined that England overthought the conditions, failing to judge which ground would produce what sort of totals.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, the 44-year-old stated:

"We haven't always made the best decisions, and I count myself at the top of the list. We've probably overthought conditions a bit. We've focused at times on whether the dew is going to come down, whether it's going to be a turner, whether it's a 230 pitch or a 350 pitch, stuff like that. This is a unique place to come and play. It's bloody tricky to work out the best thing to do."

Buttler's decision to bowl first against the Proteas came under heavy criticism due to the oppressive conditions in Mumbai.

English players kept suffering from camps and illness throughout the innings. Left-arm seamer Reece Topley was ruled out of the competition due to a finger injury suffered during the match.

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"We're going into a time where we've got more multi-format cricketers than not" - Robert Key

Robert Key. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Speaking about the first multi-year contracts announced by the ECB, Key addrressed David Willey's absence and said:

"It's fair to say David Willey wasn't best pleased. It's tough, to be honest. Where we thought we were going to have Test cricketers and white-ball cricketers, we're going into a time where we've got more multi-format cricketers than not."

Buttler's men will next lock horns with Sri Lanka on October 26 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.