That might not be a bad thing for England, who are better at setting targets than chasing them.

double quotation mark There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid.

The little girl with the little curl, the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, has plenty in common with this England team. They’re a one-day side with two faces, and we saw both during Tuesday’s defeat against Pakistan.

England seemed to be cruising to victory, only to flunk a 300+ chase for the second time in three games. There’s no need to get carried away – that’s what social media is for – but negative patterns are never a good thing for a cricket team, especially when they involve batting collapses. After a largely positive 2026, the tame manner of Tuesday’s defeat was a setback.

It means today’s match against Sri Lanka is, if not a must-win, then at least a need-to-win. The losers will be bottom of the tri-series at the halfway stage, with nul points and a lot of work to do. May the best team not lose.