England brace for World Cup backlash

11:54 am on 10 March 2015

England's embarrassed cricket coach and captain want to keep their jobs as they brace for a furious backlash to their World Cup flop.

Their hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals were dashed when they lost by 15 runs to Bangladesh in Adelaide.

England cricket captain Eoin Morgan

England cricket captain Eoin Morgan Photo: PHOTOSPORT

It was England's fourth loss in five games, with their only win coming against the associate nation Scotland, making it their worst showing at a World Cup since their 1999 first round exit on home soil.

Review full commentary of the match here

Both coach Peter Moores and captain Eoin Morgan realise there will be repercussions for England's failure to make the finals.

Moores says the England camp feel hollow but must cop criticism "on the chin".

"People are going to be very upset, as we are very upset," Moores says. "We have got a lot of passionate fans out there and they are desperate for us to do well. And we know that and we feel it."

"And that makes you feel, as a person, terrible, because you want to do better."

Morgan, who said apart from disappointment his main emotion was surprise at the failed campaign, wants to remain captain.

"I haven't thought a great deal about it because this has come as a great surprise, but certainly I have enjoyed the captaincy," he says.

Moores hopes he will continue as coach but concedes it isn't his decision.

"I want to carry on, definitely," he says. "At a time like now you feel hollow inside and you feel hugely disappointed."

"So you're not going to do a lot of thinking apart from the disappointment you have got for a campaign we had a huge ambition for.

"Any analysis of anything else, I will do later, not today."

Moores concedes there will be fall-out from a woeful campaign of just one win in five games.

"I'm not going to stand here and say we all shouldn't take some responsibility, of course we should," Moores says.

"(But) there is some deeper seated things that go with our one-day cricket... we are behind and we have got to catch that up."

Moores says England need to play more one-dayers against other top-notch nations.

"There will be a million and one things, people will say, 'could we have done this, could we have done that'," he says.

"We prepared well. We have covered the right stuff but we haven't played well on the field, we certainly haven't put it together.

"There has been a lack of consistency but also there is no lack of passion or desire in that team."

Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah

Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Mahmudullah stars

Put into bat, Mahmudullah struck Bangladesh's first World Cup century and starred in two key partnerships to lift Bangladesh to 275 for seven.

Three-times finalists England made a mess of their chase on an Adelaide Oval track that held no demons and folded for 260 in the penultimate over.

Bangladesh looked a bundle of nerves towards the end but Rubel Hossain (four for 53) claimed two wickets in the 49th over to trigger wild celebrations among their fans.

England made a decent start to their chase before losing their way in the crunch match.

Earlier, Mahmudullah (103) struck Bangladesh's first World Cup century and shared partnerships with Soumya Sarkar (40) and Mushfiquir Rahim (89) to help their side overcome a poor start.

Bangladesh's victory also secures Sri Lanka's place in the last eight, alongside Pool A winners New Zealand and Australia.

England, meanwhile, face a dead rubber against Afghanistan in Sydney on Friday.

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