No time to panic: England can still be in contention

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To play this video, you need JavaScript enabled in your browser. < /figure>Matthew HenryBBC sports reporter in St Lucia 5 hours ago

Sometimes defeats at a major tournament mean the start of a crisis.

Gareth Southgate would tell you that a team doesn't have to lose for it to be the case.

When England's cricketers were beaten by South Africa in Mumbai in last year's 50-over World Cup, their title defense collapsed.< /p>

They picked the wrong team, submitted to an Indian sweatbox at throwing it and played poorly. The result was their heaviest defeat in white-ball cricket.

Even England's defeat against Australia earlier in this T20 World Cup , following this poor 2023 World Cup. The defense of the Cup showed worrying signs.

But England's latest defeat against the Proteas did not was just that: a defeat.

England captain Jos Buttler has had his share of difficult press conferences in recent months.

Some have been irritable, others just plain sad.

Friday, which quickly followed the seven-point loss at Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia, was not one of them.

Now is not the time for England to panic.

"C "I didn't go all the way, but we did a lot of really good things today," Buttler said measuredly.

While it is true that England leave Saint Lucia with their hopes of a semi-final place at stake, they do so after a week that was more positive than negative.

< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Their fans can enjoy Gros Islet's famous Friday night street party with a certain degree of comfort.

This World Cup has been a roller coaster of emotions for England fans - frustration, disappointment, excitement, rain and Scotland-related resignation and tension - packed into less than three weeks.

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