England did not win the 1992 World Cup, but they were the best team at that tournament.
Indeed, that capped a longer stretch back to the mid-1980s, when they were among the three best sides in the format.
The real proof came immediately after the final loss to Pakistan. Pakistan arrived in England in 1992 for a monumentally explosive tour. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis led them to a memorable Test triumph, but England walloped them in the five ODIs.
That English side, which won the series 4-1, was frightening. At the top of the order was a pair of bullies, Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart (three fifty stands in four matches in that series). There was no softening immediately below them, since Robin Smith and Allan Lamb both were exceptional ODI batsmen.
The terrors lay in wait in the lower middle order, in the form of Neil Fairbrother and Graeme Hick, two different kinds of finishers. Hick could blow you away. Fairbrother’s batting was Chinese water torture, the drip-drip of his running driving opponents to insanity, and defeat.
That line-up produced scores of 278, 302 and 363 in that series, in 55-over games, admittedly, but against a legendary Pakistan attack. In the last game, they chased down a formidable 255 in less than 44 overs.
They had a healthy spectrum of all-rounders, too. Ian Botham was a genuine one, Chris Lewis a supremely gifted one, and in Dermot Reeve, they had a more modern, workaday option.
Derek Pringle was another option, so nearly the man of the World Cup final.
Their bowling was disciplined, but flexible enough to accommodate Phil Tufnell on more adventurous days, and Richard Illingworth on cautious ones.
They fielded well. They were innovative when needed, such as when they sent Botham up to open during the World Cup.
Because the 1992 World Cup was the coming of age of the modern ODI – the fielding, pinch-hitters, the coloured uniforms, the white balls and regulations – and England were at its vanguard, it felt naturally as if they would become the dominant force.
They could and should have been World Champions twice in that era: at the preceding World Cup, they only lost in the final by seven runs.
That was a long time ago. England did not lead a new age so much as get completely lost within one. They went from looking like the future to what they looked like on Saturday at Trent Bridge, in a six-wicket loss to India.
It was not a thrashing, per se, but it was one of those overwhelming matches that served as a schooling in how modern 50-over cricket is played.
On a pitch that helped his corps of spinners, MS Dhoni tightened a noose around England. None are great spinners. They do not need to be.
But Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja are impeccably modern ones, because they know how to bowl in ODIs.
Not only did England not know how to bat against them – a repeated failing – they made no space for one in their own team. More than anything, England looked outmoded, even disinterested.
That has not always been the case since 1992. On occasions, they have begun to look like a serious or, at least, competent ODI side, enough to pull out great results in unexpected places.
But mostly it has been a history of, what is the right word here – a dis-infatuation – with limited-overs cricket?
It is tempting to note that the last time England were good was about the time Australia were establishing an unbreakable grasp on the Ashes.
English cricket lives for the Ashes. Did being overwhelmed so much, so often, in the nearly two decades since the late ‘80s take all their energy, attention and resource, away from limited overs cricket?
Maybe, though perhaps not in the way we think. As Graeme Swann, the England spinner who retired from cricket in December, pointed out so witheringly during the first, abandoned ODI of the current series, do England over-complicate the format?
“I’ve sat in these [team] meetings for the last five years,” he said. “It was a statistics-based game. There was this crazy stat where if we get 239 – this was before the fielding restrictions changed a bit, so it would be more now, I assume – we will win 72 per cent of matches.
“The whole game was built upon having this many runs after this many overs, this many partnerships, doing this in the middle, working at 4.5 an over. I used to shake my head thinking: ‘This is crazy’.”
That speaks of a rigidity that just does not work in ODIs, or not in any case. Twenty20 and constantly changing regulations means the format keeps evolving.
The thinking behind it needs to, as well, and it needs to be understood that the format rewards spontaneity.
Swann was harsh, diverting attention onto individuals, such as captain Alastair Cook or Ian Bell. It is not about them as much as it is about the environment in which they exist.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at SprtNationalUAE
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Barbie
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Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Vikram%20Vedha
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Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
