How The Holland Game Was Lost

Yes, Pietersen and Flintoff were missing, and yes, selection mistakes were made yesterday - Mascheranas and Swann should have played, not Key and Rashid - but that's not why England lost. Any combination of their 15-man squad should have been more than a match for the men in orange. And don't for a minute believe that Stuart Broad was responsible, with his failed last-ball shy at the stumps. He had to do it - his only mistake was not hitting. That Broad went for the stumps is a positive thing - England need that mindset. He bowled a fine last over too - his round-the-wicket wide of off-stump bowling has been inventive and effective. On another day, one of his last over efforts would have been successful. Here's where the game was really lost:

• England failed to build on a solid start in their last nine overs, adding only 62 runs. They seemed to think the job was done, but in T20 a strike-rate of 100 is unacceptable for any period longer than the odd over.
• England made six hitting look impossible. Holland hit four.
• There are fielding restrictions in T20. Only two fielders allowed outside the circle in the first six overs - prime six-hitting time which no team can afford to ignore.
• As the pressure intensified England's fielding was nervy. The wet conditions didn't help, but the situation required razor-sharp catching and run outs, neither materialised.
• Holland timed their run chase expertly. D+L was pretty much always in their favour as they supplemented a steady flow of boundaries with single after single.
• Holland played superbly and deserved to win. Bowled well in the second half of the England innings - restricting them to singles - and timed their own innings to perfection. Disastrous for England, great for the tournament and the sport.
• T20 as a format lends itself to upsets. The heroics of one or two players can have more influence in a shorter space of time than in any other format. Tom de Grooth discovered this yesterday.

Reasons to be cheerful? A few. Namely, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Zimbabwe. The latter beat Australia in the 2007 World T20 and the Aussies went on to reach the semi-final. Things can turnaround in no time in T20. England will be praying they can prove this point.

BBC reaction