WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE... LATE WORLD CUP MISHAPS

1999 England, beset by internal contract wrangles, decide on the eve of their last home World Cup to drop long-term opener Nick Knight and replace him with Nasser Hussain, who had never opened the batting in any form of cricket. England don’t even reach the second stage. 2003 England come under pressure from the ECB to fulfil a World Cup match in Zimbabwe despite worldwide calls to pull out in protest at Robert Mugabe’s regime. Eventually they are persuaded to miss the match over ‘security concerns’ and are eliminated early. 2007 Another World Cup turns into a farce as all-rounder Andrew Flintoff decides to go for a drunken early-hours ride on a pedalo off the coast of St Lucia. 2015 England drop Alastair Cook as captain ahead of another ill-fated tournament in Australia and New Zealand, where they are found to be way off the pace of the other turbo-charged nations.