Positive Approach Now Needed as England Look to Stay Alive at World Cup

England find themselves in an all-too familiar position at a World Cup.

Since Graham Gooch's side lost to Pakistan in the 1992 final, England have a dismal record in the 50-over competition.

They reached the last eight in 1996 and 2011 before being emphatically beaten by Sri Lanka on both occasions, while in 1999 and 2003 they did not even make it out of their group.

Defeat to Sri Lanka at Wellington on Sunday has left this current crop of internationals in a serious fight to finish in the top four in Group A.

After four games, Eoin Morgan's squad has managed to record one win—against Scotland—in their campaign.

Their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals now rest on their results against Bangladesh—a nation to which England lost at the last World Cup—and Afghanistan. 

But there is still hope. England have time to turn things around.

Just becoming more aggressive in every facet of the game would be a good start. Here are five positive suggestions that might yet improve their fortunes.

At the halfway stage against Sri Lanka, everything was rosy in the England garden.

The plan had come together perfectly after winning the toss and opting to bat first at the Westpac Stadium.

A member of the top order (Ian Bell) had given them a positive start, someone in the middle overs had gone on to make a big score (Joe Root) and they benefited from a late cameo (Jos Buttler) to get above that magical 300-mark.

A final score of 309 for six looked good. That was until Sri Lanka came out and chased it down with just the nine wickets and 16 deliveries to spare.

Maybe another 15 or 20 runs would not have mattered in the end, but England need to grasp the opportunity to dominate when it arises. 

Buttler made 39 from just 19 deliveries but did not get to the middle until the 46th over, the management team deciding to stick rigidly to the batting order written down on the team sheet.

Against Scotland, they had been 172 without loss after 30 overs, yet they ended up only just reaching 300.

When Ian Bell was dismissed in that match, Gary Ballance (more on him to come) was sent out at three.

Yet with the opposing team struggling and so many wickets in hand, why did they not promote Buttler? There was nothing to lose and plenty to gain from such a positive move.

England must stop treating a 50-over innings like it is a savings account at a bank—aim for big gains, rather than look to steadily build for the future.

England’s selection panel has stuck rigidly with the same XI throughout the tournament so far.

After four matches, however, it might be time to reassess the situation and make a change or two.

Gary Ballance is certainly a candidate for a rest after managing just 36 runs in four innings so far.

A surprise inclusion for the opening game against Australia having only just returned from a broken finger, he has looked short of form and devoid of confidence.

James Taylor had batted at three throughout the Carlton Mid One-Day International Tri-Series just before the World Cup, yet he was moved down to six once the tournament began.

Alex Hales is waiting in the wings—he has yet to pull up any trees in his seven ODI appearances, managing 126 runs with a best of 42.

He does, though, have a great Twenty20 record. In 33 international games in the shortest format, he has scored 1,062 runs from just 767 deliveries.

If selected, Hales has to be given the opportunity to express himself.

There is no point picking him if he is to be restricted in the way he plays, fearing that a failure to produce will result in him being dropped.

Of the six bowlers used by England, only spinner Moeen Ali is going at a scoring rate of less than six an over.

Their battery of four pacemen have failed to fire, with the experienced combination of James Anderson and Stuart Broad managing the grand total of two wickets apiece.

To cut them some slack, the pair missed the ODI series in Sri Lanka at the end of 2014 through injury.

Anderson stayed at home due to a knee injury, while Broad was still recovering after surgery on the patella tendon in his right knee, per BBC Sport.

Yet England knew they would be rusty when they selected them in their World Cup squad, leaving them in a tricky situation: They have had to play them to try to regain form and fitness.

In the pair’s absence in Sri Lanka, Chris Woakes took the new ball.

He continued to perform the same role in the Tri-Series with Australia and India, but he now finds himself used as a first-change bowler. Capable of finding swing, he should get first opportunity with a brand-new ball.

Steve Finn, meanwhile, is England's leading wicket-taker with eight.

His numbers are bloated somewhat by the fact that he took a hat trick in the final over of the World Cup opener against Australia, a match in which he leaked 71 runs from his 10 overs.

His tournament economy rate stands at 6.89, and he was hammered for 49 in two overs by New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.

Chris Jordan is the other seamer in the squad. His career economy rate stands at 5.70, but he has picked up 33 wickets in 20 ODI appearances.

Making a change to the bowling unit may not be the answer, but a more attacking approach—particularly up front—could alter results.

Without possessing a bowler of extreme pace or great mystery, England has to work out a way of taking wickets, because that is the best way to slow the progress of opposing teams.

So far, England have opted for four front-line seamers during the World Cup.

Moeen Ali has been used as the first-choice spinner, a job the all-rounder has performed admirably.

His 10 overs against Sri Lanka went for 50 runs—miserly in comparison to his colleagues—and he also picked up the only wicket to fall.

England do have another slow bowler in their squad; James Tredwell has so far been needed only to carry drinks and send down deliveries in the nets.

However, with the way their seamers were so emphatically dealt with by Sri Lanka, the selection group must be considering bringing Tredwell into the XI.

His career record is steady: 59 ODI wickets in 44 matches with an economy rate of 4.77.

As well as offering a wicket-taking threat, Eoin Morgan could do with an element of control in the middle stages of an innings.

Having both Moeen and Tredwell would allow England's skipper to rattle through overs.

England took the brave decision to sack one-day skipper Alastair Cook following the tour to Sri Lanka, handing over the reins to Eoin Morgan. 

The move was backed by ex-England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, with the former telling Sky Sports (h/t The Telegraph): “It is a bold move, but England can't do much worse than they have been doing in one-day cricket.”

In the ECB press release to announce his appointment, Morgan spoke of the need to turn the potential within the squad into “consistent performances on the international stage.”

So far, the only consistent element to Morgan’s time in charge has been the continuation of disappointing results.

It is harsh to point the finger of blame entirely at Morgan—he was given the job with very little time to stamp his mark on the team before the World Cup got underway.

He must, though, look to lead in the same way he looks to bat—innovative in thought and with the desire to dominate opponents.

England supporters have become accustomed to disappointment in one-day cricket, almost numb to it, but they could at least find a little pain relief in a team that goes down swinging.

All statistics used in this story were provided by ESPN Cricinfo.