"We've got two very important games...": Hopkinson on England's chance of playing Champions Trophy

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], November 8 (ANI): Ahead of the 40th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 match between England and Netherlands at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, English assistant coach Carl Hopkinson said that they need to win the upcoming two games so that they can take part in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Hopkinson said that they are now thinking about the forthcoming game against the Dutch side.
"I think first and foremost we have to think about what's coming tomorrow. I think anything that comes after that is what comes after that. We need to be thinking about tomorrow, we need to be thinking about Pakistan because we've got two very important games in which we need to win and win well to qualify for the Champions Trophy, which is what we need to do. And I think you're asking about after that, at the moment I want to concentrate on what's in front of us training this afternoon and preparing the lads as well as we can for the game tomorrow," Hopkinson said.
Asked about lessons England learnt from this tournament, the assistant coach said that it's more around actual skill execution and those key moments throughout the ODI World Cup 2023.
He added that they haven't got skill execution right and as they possibly could have done.
"I think it's more around actual skill execution and those key moments throughout the tournament. I think it's clear for everybody to see that we haven't got those quite right and as executed as well as we possibly could have done and actually that's what this team's probably known for over the last five or six years, so I think that's probably the biggest takeaway for me as a coach," he added.
When asked if England train enough, he added that the balance between rest and training is always key.
"I think the balance between rest and training is always key. I think as a group we like to make sure that when the lads turn up, every training session is a prop on full intensity session. So sometimes if you train all the time, then that can take away from that a little bit But I think we've got the balance. I think we've got the balance pretty right,"
Hopkinson was asked how to improve execution under pressure, and he replied that confidence and training help the players.
"It comes from lots of things. It comes from, first of all, doing it in a game, winning games of cricket, which gives you confidence, but then ultimately it comes from your training as well, which every single one of the players is always trying to put right, and this group is well-renowned for pushing the boundaries of their own game and always looking to improve," he concluded.
England's ODI World Cup 2023 squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Netherlands' ODI World Cup 2023 squad: Scott Edwards (C), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht. (ANI)