England captain Eoin Morgan is showing the strain of leading a team that is buckling under the enormous pressure of being favourites at home, chiding an Australian reporter for questioning England's poor record in World Cups against Australia. They have not beaten the men in canary yellow at a World Cup since 1992.

Loading

They are starting to eat their own in England, with Kevin Pietersen one of several former captains piling on, questioning Morgan's courage against Mitchell Starc.

The World Cup was supposed to be the first leg of England's blockbuster season leading into the Ashes but there is now a distinct possibility neither will be attainable.

"If England don't make the last four that will certainly be a blow to their confidence," Taylor said.

"I know they're different games and the sides will be different but England always felt they would make the last four.

"They still might. If they don't, that will rock them and there will be a lot of people criticising them. That will filter into their longer-form games."

Taylor and wicketkeeping great Ian Healy can both see similarities between England's troubled campaign and Australia's World Cup failure in 1992. Like England, Australia were favourites at home who started poorly. They missed the semis, though England still have two games to atone for their sins.

"We'd come off a very successful World Series then we didn't treat the World Cup as specially as we should have until it was a bit too late. We thought our form would transfer," Healy said.

Pietersen was scathing in his criticism of Morgan, who was dismissed cheaply after holing out in the deep to a hook shot off Starc.

"The England captain stepping to square leg when Starc bowled his first delivery to him made me think England could have a little problem over the next week or so. I hope not, but I’ve not seen a captain show such a weakness for a while," Pietersen tweeted.

Former England captain Mike Atherton, now the chief cricket writer at The Times, said Australia had left their opposition to "squirm" over the next 10 days, beginning with the blockbuster against India on Sunday.

Loading

"What a time to lose a second consecutive one-day game - the first time at home for nearly four years. Having dominated Australia in one-day cricket since the previous World Cup, winning 10 of the past 11 games against them and wrapping up a whitewash last summer, England lost the match that really counted, a galling state of affairs," Atherton said.

England's willingness to adapt to different conditions or game situations has been a major talking point through this tournament. Now with three defeats, their primary manner - that being to attack from ball one - has fallen apart over the past week against Sri Lanka and Australia.

Former captain Alec Stewart questioned whether England needed to show more caution against the new ball. They had been 3-26 in the sixth over at Lord's.

"When they have lost games, I believe they haven't adapted to the situation ... great sides adapt. You have to respect the new ball," he told the BBC.

Michael Vaughan, the Ashes winning captain of 2005, praised Australia's bowling but suggested England may need a rethink.

"The experience from us watching the game tells us you can't just play one way," Vaughan said.

"History tells us that because, if you do, the opposition can plan to play against you. Australia were very clever. And they know the way England are going to play - they know they're going to go at you."