XPost: uk.sport.cricket
‘Brainless Bazballers’: Geoffrey Boycott calls England flat-track
bullies after Pakistan series loss
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/brainless-bazballers-boycott-england-flat-track-bullies-spin-pakistan-9642625/
‘Brainless Bazballers’: Geoffrey Boycott calls England flat-track
bullies after Pakistan series loss
Boycott was particularly critical of skipper Ben Stokes, Harry Brook,
Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope's techniques against spin.
Former England cricket Geoffrey Boycott did not mince his words as he criticised England’s abject batting display against spin in the Test
series loss to Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
After England’s batters totalled a record 823/7 decl. at a run-rate of
5.48 on a flatbed Multan pitch, resulting in an innings victory over the
hosts, Pakistan resorted to rank-turning strips for the second and third
Tests of the series.
The Englishmen only added 814 runs in four innings as Pakistan rode on a twin-spin attack led by Noman Ali and Sajid Khan to script a dramatic
comeback 2-1 series win.
“If you want to be rated a great batsman, you must have a rounded game
and score runs on all types of pitches,” Boycott wrote in his column for
The Telegraph.
After 19 Tests this ICC World Test Championship, the Test side helmed by
head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes has only won nine games.
Labelling the batting group as ‘brainless Bazballers’, Boycott wrote: “They are entertaining and fantastic to watch because you never know
what they are going to do next, good or bad, but Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum want their team to be the best. Unfortunately they are wasting
their opportunity and risk being remembered as flat-track bullies unless
they make some adjustments for conditions.”
“The saddest thing is that England do not play in India or Pakistan
again on spinning pitches for nearly three years…It was annoying to hear
the England players saying after the Pakistan series defeat: “That’s how
we as a group play,” Boycott lamented.
England also conceded a 3-1 series defeat on their trip to India earlier
this year, with the batting crumbling against a potent spin attack.
Boycott was particularly critical of skipper Stokes, Harry Brook, Zak
Crawley and Ollie Pope’s techniques against spin.
“For two Test matches our batting was pathetic against spin. In India
earlier this year the batsmen were weak and easily spun out.
“As soon as the ball grips Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and
Stokes are all at sea. They go at the ball with hard hands and there are
gaps between bat and pad,” Boycott added.
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