Cricket is a game full of what ifs and maybes, and that is definitely what England will be saying as they assess their capitulation in the final of the Champions Trophy that led to them losing to India by 5 runs.
A final almost didn't take place due to the persistent heavy rain that fell over Edgbaston. Play finally started at 4.20pm and the game was reduced to a 20-over competition. This decision would have pleased an Indian team coming into this tournament on the back of the IPL. Yes the sell out, patient crowd deserved to see a match; but how fair is it to reduce a final from 50 to 20 overs each because there is no reserve day?
Apparently, the International schedule did not allow for a reserve day because England are due to play New Zealand in a T20 match on Tuesday in a completely pointless 2-match T20 series. The two teams must be sick at the sight of each other. They have played 15 matches against each other in all formats of the game in the last 5 months, in addition to the two T20s scheduled for next week.
England might still have lost to India in a 50 over final. But the reduced overs is something to consider especially when Alistair Cook cannot get into England's T20 team.
England will also be wondering what would have happened if they'd fielded better. In the 3rd over, Tim Bresnan wildly threw the ball high to Jos Buttler and it went for 4 overthrows because Eoin Morgan was not backing up properly. Morgan also gave away another single overthrow a few overs later.
During the 8th over, Bresnan made a sliding stop on the boundary and appeared to save 2 runs. However, as the new father pushed the boundary back whilst diving, it was harshly given four and Bresnan picked up the ball where the boundary should have been. I'm unsure quite how the umpire managed to make that call.
Jonathan Trott dropped Virat Kohli who added another 7 seven runs before he was out. These incidents may seem immaterial, but they all contributed to India's 129 runs, which were crucially five more runs than England could manage.
England's response with the bat gave them more "if only"situations than in the field. Ian Bell was adjudged to be stumped by Australian third umpire, Bruce Oxenford, in ridiculous fashion.
When Bell's foot was in the air, the stumps moved as MS Dhoni went to break the wicket. However, by the time the wicket was actually broken and the bail out of the grooves, Bell's foot was back behind the line. All the replays showed this, so I don't know what conclusive evidence Oxenford had to give Bell out.
England's batsmen panicked and when Ishant Sharma picked up the wickets of Morgan and Ravi Bopara in consecutive deliveries, after he had bowled two wides in the same over, it just that today would not be England's day.
This was in stark comparison to earlier when Bopara bowled brilliantly to finish with 3 for 20 off 4 overs. The pinnacle being a double wicket maiden when he removed Suresh Raina, and the Indian captain for a duck.
England's unfunny comedy of errors as was summed up when Bresnan was run out after an lbw appeal was turned down. There wasn't a run to attempt, so again, if only he'd stayed in the crease rather rather being stranded half way down.
15 runs from the last over was too much for Stuart Broad and James Tredwell to score. The rest, as they say, is history. England are still waiting to make history and win their first 50-over International tournament. It might have been a 20-over match today, but the trophy was theirs for the taking.
We often accuse South Africa of being chokers. But England have now twice been in the Champions Trophy final in England, and lost when they were in the driving seat. In 2004, the West Indies lower order held their nerve to chase down 218 with 2 wickets to spare as England sprayed the ball.
Credit to India though. They have been the form team of the tournament and remained unbeaten throughout. 129 runs didn't seem enough at the innings break, but Dhoni knew exactly when and how to utilise his bowlers. Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja picked up the Golden Bat and Golden Boot awards respectively.
But for all of England's good work in getting to the final, they must be thinking of all the missed chances and opportunities that might have got them over the line and in doing so, 38 years of waiting for a 50-over trophy.
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