It is said - because they keep saying it - that England's players are better than they often show, that their skill levels are high. But this is what happened yesterday: the match lasted a total of 45.4 overs; England were bowled out for 123 in 33.2 of them then New Zealand reached their target in the other 12.2.
When the draw was made for this competition, England were one of the top seeds, based on performances at the time. But as the two years since passed it became clear their opening matches against the host nations, Australia and New Zealand, would present formidable obstacles.
Deep down England knew that defeat in both was eminently possible but never, no matter how far into the depths of their souls they searched, would they or anyone else have thought there could be two such old-fashioned thrashings. If it says little for the players' understanding of how to play in big-time contests, it perhaps says somewhat less for the retinue of coaches.
In its way, the cricket World Cup, like the Olympic Games or the football World Cup, is all about reaching a peak every four years. That is why England juggled with their programme, to give themselves the best chance. When things started to go badly wrong, they sacked their captain, Alastair Cook, six weeks before the tournament began and replaced him with Eoin Morgan. It is not exactly looking like a masterstroke.
Morgan is badly out form, and after events yesterday he was in something of a daze, perfectly accepting of what had just happened but unsure how it had and what might be done about it.
England's next match is against Scotland in Christchurch on Monday and it is one they should cruise. But victory will mean nothing in the bigger picture. Somehow, England have to assemble a display befitting the competition.
This was a great New Zealand performance by a team who were indeed prepared for the World Cup. In the World Twenty20 last year, England were defeated by Netherlands in a match which had nothing riding on it. This felt worse. All the planning is hot air.
The players are not fit to compete against the better sides and results patently show it. One-day cricket has passed them by. They insist they are now playing a different brand of it but they can hardly emerge from the starting blocks to show it.
The quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup still loom, so generous is the price of failure given the composition of the tournament. Then they would be only two matches away from the final. But that is not going to happen.
The first task before any of that is to beat Scotland. The Scots have nothing to lose; the English can lose anything.
-THE INDEPENDENT
