Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian skipper, has slammed the England management for their lack of preparation with the red ball and questioned their decision to skip first-class cricket ahead of the demanding and prestigious Ashes tour of Australia.
England have received immense criticism for their poor performance in the ongoing Ashes series. The criticism continued despite England’s victory in the Boxing Day test match at the MCG. However, this happened in the fourth Test of the series, and with three humiliating defeats, the fate of the Ashes was sealed in favor of the Australians.
However, England managed to end their 19-match losing streak on Australian soil, and the Ben Stokes-led side finally regained their composure after the victory at the MCG. However, they set an unwanted record of losing an Ashes series in 11 days.
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Sunil Gavaskar criticizes England players for lack of first-class training
Amid their disastrous Ashes run, England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum consistently supported the team and remained confident in their Bazball strategy. However, this much-hyped approach can become increasingly one-dimensional when put under pressure by disciplined and precise gameplay.
Australia not only beat the England team but also destroyed the confidence of the English batting team. The likes of Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and even Joe Root have battled for every race on the Australian island.
To this, Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar pointed out the players’ lack of patience due to lack of sufficient first-class exposure ahead of the crucial series. Therefore, players cannot adapt properly to the rhythm of Test match batting.
“He [The modern batter] thinks counter-attacking is the way to go, while a little patience, with a few deep breaths to slow down the adrenaline, could help reduce the bat speed and big swing, so even if he makes a mistake or strays, the ball may not be carried towards the defender.
“But then, if he hardly plays any first-class cricket, how will he mentally get used to adapting to the pace required of a Test match?” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“The more you play, the better you will get,” believes Sunil Gavaskar
England greats like Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan seemed unconvinced that England had started their Ashes campaign without a single warm-up match in the Australian isles. As a result, the fashionable Bazball strategy collapsed in the first three tests.
Sunil Gavaskar clearly feels that these struggles are purely due to lack of sufficient Test exposure to the players. With the terrible record they hold in the island nation, England should have been more careful in their batting practices. The Indian great also highlighted how after playing three matches, England could achieve a victory by improving with their exposure on the field.
“England’s victory, even though it came in the fourth Test with the series already lost, proves once again that the more you play, the better you will get, especially in unfamiliar foreign conditions… So the point is, should England have played a few more first-class matches before the first Test? The ‘ares’ don’t agree with the ‘has-beens’ here,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
England look to win SCG Test to maintain Bazball legacy
England finally won their third match of this WTC cycle and made it count in Australia. After their victory at the MCG, the English side are also said to be eyeing another victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground, believing that this victory could help them keep some hopes alive in the WTC.
Plus, with several other players released by the Australians, England could see this as an opportunity to salvage some honor in Australia. Coming from behind and finishing the Ashes 3-2 would be a major boost for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum to defend the ‘bazball’ strategy.
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