LONDON: Ex-England cricket skipper Geoffrey Boycott has condemned the national squad describing them as “irresponsible and useless” after their beginning in the Ashes series.
Boycott voiced his irritation towards players such, as Ben Stokes and Brendan McCullum claiming they behave as though they solely grasp the nuances of Test cricket. “We need to stop paying attention to them ” he remarked.
Reviewing England’s display, in Brisbane he described it as a ” exhibition” and asserted that the Australian squad ought to have been defeated. “At this point England requires a miracle to reverse their fortunes ” Boycott remarked.
He also expressed disapproval of the team’s batting and bowling stating, “England can’t succeed with this arrangement. They prepared for this Ashes series over four years. What are they really doing at this moment?”
Boycott additionally noted that no player in the England team is open to hearing from anyone, beyond their group. “Test cricket has changed, yet they appear to think only they grasp the essence of contemporary Test cricket ” he stated.
Focusing on displays Boycott pointed to Harry Brook doubting his technique, on Australian tracks. “All England fans are eager to understand what’s running through Harry Brook’s head. He doesn’t seem to be shifting his feet on these grounds ” he remarked.
England has lost the first two Test matches of the Ashes series, leaving the team under heavy scrutiny.
Ashes series: Australia defeat England by eight wickets in second Test
Australia secured an eight-wicket win against England on day four of the second Ashes Test, at the Gabba establishing a 2–0 advantage in the series.
England restarted their innings at 134 for 6 but were dismissed for 241. Michael Neser showed a display securing five wickets whereas Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland took two wickets apiece. Brendan Doggett contributed one wicket to conclude England’s innings.
Pursuing a goal of 65 runs Australia easily achieved the total with eight wickets remaining. Travis Head boosted the score of his team by 22 runs. Jake Weatherald was able to contribute 17 runs before his dismissal. Captain Steve Smith stretched the innings further with 23 runs while Marnus Labuschagne, who was batting at the other end, also kept the innings alive with 3 runs.
In the course of the game Australia established a landmark achievement. In an Ashes encounter that dates back to 1882, this is the very first instance when all eleven Australian batsmen have managed to score at least ten runs each in a single innings.
The Australian team had gone on to do such a feat on two other occasions but not in an Ashes Test, one against India in 1948 and another against Sri Lanka in 1992. Nevertheless, this is the first time that the landmark has been hit in an Ashes Test.
