England needed to make a statement in their World Cup opener against South Africa - and they delivered it tenfold. Criticism swirled round the team after their group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup this time last year and the 16-0 Ashes thrashing in January. In fact, ever since that 2024 winter of discontent, news conferences, articles and the narrative of pretty much every game they have played has been dominated by what had gone so badly wrong before. Subsequent series wins over West Indies