The World Cup is upon us. On the eve of the tournament England are predicted to struggle and be on the plane home long before the silverware is dished out. There's still some debate on the best line up, the tactics that they ought to deploy, the leadership is under scrutiny and a high profile ex-captain and would-be star player is unavailable for selection after a high profile fall out.
No, we haven't time travelled. This isn't the build-up to last summer's football World Cup in Brazil, but the situation that faces the nation's cricket team (well, the nation plus the players we've borrowed from others) ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
It's odd isn't it? Do other nations operate the same way to us? When we have a complicated but undoubtedly talented and experienced star, be it John Terry or Kevin Pietersen, we seem unable to manage them. Yes, it can't be easy but isn't it the job of the leadership of our sporting teams to manage big egos and star names? Can Arjen Robben, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jacques Kallis or Shane Warne have been 'easy' to handle?
Still, just as John Terry was nowhere near Roy Hodgson's team in Brazil, 'KP' will be taking to the airwaves with the Test Match Special team instead of switch-hitting and strutting around the crease. Interestingly he won't be involved until the quarter finals, by which time he may not have pass comment on his former teammates...
In South America the tactics of Roy Hodgson and captaincy of Wayne Rooney were under intense scrutiny. Pundits were looking for a bolder, more attacking approach that made use of the talented young stars that had emerged into the ranks. Sound familiar? Down Under the Three Lions will be led by newly-installed captain Eoin Morgan who is talented but yet to live up to his potential. His England side contains the likes of Jos Buttler, James Taylor, Chris Woakes and Steven Finn - talented young players who are crying out to be 'let loose' in the shorter form of the game. They're the Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of the cricket world. Morgan and the management need to find a way to make sure the nation's cricketing talent can be harnessed to get the kind of results their footballing counterparts failed to find last summer.
Those results will be difficult to find in the first two games. While our footballers faced Italy and Uruguay, the cricketers come up against both host nations straight away. Unlike the football, though, there will be chance to grow into the tournament - and Scotland, Bangladesh and Afghanistan should offer a more realistic prospect of victory. That may make it much easier to qualify for the knockout stages, but those first games are still important as the side looks to find its form and improve the way it plays the 50-over format.
To be fair to Hodgson, he adapted his style from the 2012 European Championships, when he was thrown in at the deep end and threw together a defensive lineup. The cricket team's troubles have been in not keeping up the pace with the rest of the world. While other teams are littered with powerful hitters who continue to push the boundaries (quite literally) England still potter on with the same plan and tactics of 10 years ago. 45-1 off ten overs is no longer anywhere near enough - with teams plundering closer to double that on a regular basis. Likewise, we still seem to view 300 as a big total when others virtually see it as 'par', especially on fast, bouncy Australian wickets.
Whether it's death bowling, powerful six hitting, innovative stroke making, or 'finishing' with the bat we're behind our rivals - we badly need to score more runs and be much tighter with the ball at the end of an innings. It mirrors the football team's need to pass the ball better - especially compared to much better rivals on the continent.
And what of the contenders? South Africa are clearly cricket's Argentina. In AB De Villiers they have the nearest the game has to a Lionel Messi and, just like the South Americans, you feel that they may struggle to live up to the undoubted talent they have in their ranks to back up the star man.
They should be able to reach the semi finals but you feel one of the two hosts, both in decent form, should emerge as the winner, with the boys in the baggy green the more likely.
The Indians don't seem to enjoy playing in Australia, Sri Lanka are asking too much for their senior pros, West Indies are a mess again and Pakistan don't seem capable of consistent, quality performances.
England, meanwhile, will be left with a familiar debate to that of the football world. We'll have a debate about grass roots, about the direction and rules of the domestic game and we'll probably commission a review. It's all depressingly familiar.
And yet, despite England's difficulties and the long and flawed tournament format, I'm still looking forward to it. Plus, on the bright side, we definitely won't crash out on penalties...
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