Legendary Cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott emphasized that prioritizing victories is crucial, rather than merely discussing the potential for England to revolutionize Test cricket. Boycott believes England missed opportunities to defeat both India and Australia, particularly evident in their recent series against Rohit Sharma’s team.
The 2023 Ashes series in England ended in a draw, allowing Australia to retain the urn as the defending champions. Ben Stokes’ team arrived in India with optimism after winning the opening Test in Hyderabad. However, they faced setbacks in the following three matches, culminating in a defeat in Ranchi. As a result, India secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
At times England were reckless and too cocky- Sir Geoffrey Boycott
Sir Geoffrey Boycott expressed in his column for The Telegraph that England should feel the sting of losing to India and settling for a draw against Australia, especially considering they had the potential to emerge victorious against both teams.
Bazball has given Test cricket a shot in the arm and England deserve praise for that. At times, I love it. But I love winning more and England have failed to beat the best two teams in the world: Australia and now India. What should really hurt them is that they should have beaten both.”
The seasoned veteran, with 108 Tests under his belt, noted that England has displayed moments of overconfidence.
I know they all have to buy into the Bazball mantra because that is all they talk about. To play with no fear is good, but at times England were reckless and too cocky about how they were going to smack everybody around.”
On Day 3 in Ranchi, the visitors had a chance to establish a lead of over 100 runs. However, Dhruv Jurel‘s resilient 90 restricted their advantage to just 46. Despite Shoaib Bashir’s commendable efforts, the batting lineup faltered, collapsing from 110-3 to a disappointing 145 all-out. Consequently, their hopes of securing a win were dashed.
Zak Crawley is the one England player averaging over 40- Sir Geoffrey Boycott
Sir Geoffrey Boycott also underscored the inconsistency in England’s batting lineup, noting that Zak Crawley is the only batter averaging over 40 for the team.
The batting cost them winning the Ashes and it lost them the series against India. In this series, they have had odd moments when someone has scored a good hundred. But they have been in isolation and there has been no consistency. Zak Crawley is the one England player averaging over 40. Six of the Indian players have averages higher than 43.”
With one Test remaining, England has an opportunity to depart India with another victory.
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