Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the England management for their lack of red-ball preparation and questioned their decision to abandon first-class cricket ahead of the demanding and prestigious Ashes tour in Australia.
England is facing a lot of criticism for its weak performance in the current Ashes series. The criticism continued despite England’s victory in the Boxing Day Test match at the MCG. However, it came to the fourth Test of the series, and with three humiliating defeats, the fate of the Ashes was decided in favor of the Australians.
However, England managed to break their 19-match losing streak on Australian soil and the Ben Stokes-led side finally took some of the strain after the win at the MCG. However, they set an unwanted record of losing an Ashes series within 11 days.
Sunil Gavaskar criticizes England players for lack of first-class practice
Amid their disappointing performance in the Ashes, England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have been continuously supporting the team and remain confident in their buzzball strategy. However, when pressured by disciplined and precise gameplay the much-touted approach can become increasingly one-dimensional.
Australia has not only defeated the England team but has also crushed the confidence of the English batsmen. Players like Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and even Joe Root have had to struggle for every run in the Australian island.
On this, India’s great batsman Sunil Gavaskar highlighted the lack of patience within the players due to lack of sufficient first-class experience before the important series. Therefore, players are not able to adjust adequately to the batting rhythm of a Test match.
“He [The modern batter] Thinks that counter-attacking is the answer, when a little patience combined with a few deep breaths taken to slow down the adrenaline can help reduce bat speed and big swings, so even if he misses or edges the ball, it cannot reach the fielder.
“But then, if he hardly plays any first-class cricket, how will he be mentally acclimated to the rhythm required of a Test match?” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
Sunil Gavaskar believes, “The more you play, the better you get.”
England greats like Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan seemed to disagree with the fact that England began their Ashes campaign without a single practice match in the Australian islands. As a result, the buzzball strategy promoted during the first three Test matches collapsed.
Sunil Gavaskar clearly feels that these struggles are simply due to the players lacking adequate Test experience. Given their poor record in the island nation, England should have been more cautious in batting practice. The Indian great also explained how, after playing three matches, England were able to win because they improved their performance on the field.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “England’s win, even though it came in the fourth Test having already lost the series, proves once again that the more you play, the better you do, especially in unfamiliar overseas 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.”
England would like to win SCG Test to maintain baseball legacy
England finally won their third match of this WTC cycle and made their tally in Australia. After their win at the MCG, the English would be hoping for another win at the Sydney Cricket Ground as well, considering that this win could help them keep some hopes alive in the WTC.
Furthermore, with Australia releasing several more players, England may see this as an opportunity to salvage some face in Australia. Coming from behind to wrap up the Ashes 3-2 will be a big boost for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum to defend the ‘buzzball’ strategy.
Also read: ICC gives ‘unsatisfactory’ rating to MCG pitch after Ashes Test ends in just two days
