England suggests "not fit" for the highest level: Paul Newman
Former English cricketer Paul Newman has scourged the English batting team, saying that they are "unsuitable" for the "highest level" of the game and that only skippers Joe Root and Dawid Malan are the notable exceptions.
England's batting flops in the two Ashes games so far have seen tourists succumb to a nine-wicket defeat in the opening test at the Gabba and are now staring at an almost certain defeat in the second test, which is currently running at the Adelaide Oval. ...
The cricket expert also said it was ironic that bowlers would have to bear the brunt of the losses since they are the ones to be deleted.
"It is one of the great truisms of cricket that every time a team loses to bad strokes, they switch throwers. And that has never been as true as it was in England in the ashes. Strokes that are inapplicable at the highest level , with the notable exceptions of Joe Root and, most recently, Dawid Malan, is the overwhelming reason why England suffered two defeats after the second Test, wasting any realistic hopes of picking up the ballot box, "Newman said in his column for the Daily Mail on ...
Newman, 62, who played 135 world-class games, mostly as a fast right arm bowler, also added that opener Rory Burns "embodies England's racket fights".
Burns has only managed four in the Adelaide Test so far and an unbeaten 34, while during the Gabba Test, opening player Pat Cummins challenged Pat Cummins for a duck with the first ball and made 13 in the second innings.
Haseeb Hameed fared no better with Burns' inaugural partner, who scored 25 and 27 on the first Test, while he managed only six and one duck in the Adelaide Test.
"The problem with this Ashes is that England just doesn't seem to be able to put any pressure on Australia in any way, even when faced with an attack missing its two best sailors in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood. And with her other leading seaman at Mitchell Starc appears to be nursing a back injury, "added Newman.
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Newman said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should thoroughly examine the domestic structure and see why good doughs weren't coming out of the stables.
"These are legitimate problems, but the investigation that will soon engulf English cricket in the loss of another Ashes must focus on why the home game cannot produce clubs that have the technique and discipline required for red ball cricket can deliver.".
He concluded by saying that England's success in white ball cricket came at the expense of the game they are traditionally good at, namely test cricket.
"The problem, of course, is that England's understandable desire to revamp its white ball cricket following the disgrace of the 2015 World Cup campaign came at the expense of what it is traditionally good at - test cricket."