Former England spinner Alex Hartley has labelled both England men's and women's teams as 'arrogant' following the men's team exit from the Champions Trophy yesterday (February 26).
Hartley was speaking on the BBC Test Match Special podcast after England lost to Afghanistan in a thriller in Lahore. The result meant that England were eliminated from the Champions Trophy at the earliest possible opportunity, their third consecutive disappointing result in an ICC tournament.
Hartley: People don't want to watch a losing team
"The arrogance of the England teams irritates me," said Hartley. "They say 'we don't care about the result and we want to entertain', but people don't want to come and watch you if you lose all the time."
England men have lost 12 out of their last 16 ODIs since the end of the 2023 World Cup and lost a five-match T20I series to India 4-1 earlier this month. England women recently lost the Ashes series in Australia, losing all their games in the multi-format series to concede the biggest-ever loss in the points system's history at 16-0.
Hartley was at the centre of controversy during that series when she stated that Sophie Ecclestone had refused to do an interview with her because of comments Hartley made during the women's T20 World Cup in October last year. After England's group stage exit from that tournament, Hartley said: "There are girls in that side that are letting the team down... There are going to be a lot of questions asked, and some of them rightly so, on fitness."
Former England captain Mark Butcher, speaking on the Wisden Patreon podcast, suggested that England’s 'arrogance' is why people enjoy seeing them lose.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 27, 2025
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Mark Butcher: People love seeing England lose because of their arrogance
Hartley's comments in relation to England's Champions Trophy loss closely align with statements from Mark Butcher on the Wisden Cricket Patreon England Daily podcast. Speaking after the defeat to Afghanistan, Butcher said: “I completely and utterly understand why everybody loves seeing England lose... The arrogance of English cricket to decide that after you strive for all that time to win a 50-over World Cup, and then within the next breath, you decide that it’s not important enough for your for your players to play?
“The arrogance in that and the comeuppance that has come around... There’s no wonder the crowd there are all supporting Afghanistan, whether they’re from Afghanistan or Pakistan, or wherever they are.”
England will play their final match in the competition on Saturday, March 4, against South Africa in Karachi.
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