adminLONDON. – The English media yesterday savaged their national cricket team following the humiliating World Cup loss against hosts Australia in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Telegraph described the team as being “bloody stupid” while the Mail yesterday said they were “out-batted, out-bowled and out-thought” by their opponents.
Former England skipper, Geoffrey Boycott, writing in the Telegraph said “England were bloody stupid against Australia – their World Cup campaign is already in crisis.”
Boycott had criticised England skipper Eoin Morgan before the game.
“England moaned about my criticism of Eoin Morgan but they were brainless and gutless in being crushed by the Aussies,” Boycott wrote.
“Instead they should have been concentrating on improving their fielding and looking up the definition of common sense.
“Both aspects of their play were woeful and got their World Cup campaign off to a horrible start. Chris Woakes dropped a straightforward catch off Aaron Finch in the first over, Gary Ballance was lead footed running in from the boundary and messed up a chance off Bailey and we also fluffed up a couple of run outs.
“Yes Joe Root took a blinding catch at the end of the Australian innings but by then it was too late. The game had got away from us. The horse had bolted.
“But it was not just England’s fielding. Smart teams make smart decisions and in the modern one-day game the time for cool thinking is in the final 10 overs.
“Batting has become so inventive nowadays that it is way beyond anything my generation dreamed of, so it becomes vitally important to bowl well at the death of an innings and England are hopeless at it.”
Boycott said it was time for the leadership of the game to ask themselves some tough questions.
“If I was the chairman of the ECB I would be asking Peter Moores and David Saker, the bowling coach, what the hell is going on,” wrote Boycott.
“Moores dropped Bopara for Ballance who has not played a one-day match since last summer, Taylor moved from three to bat at six for the first time and Broad opened the bowling after Woakes had done it for months. It is muddled thinking. In the last seven overs we bowled only seven yorkers. Three were not scored off and four went for a single. Perhaps that tells you something. Once you consistently bowl short, the batsman starts expecting it so he can set himself to hit you off side and leg side.
“Players these days expect to hit every ball for four at the end of an innings. My generation was different. I was 30 years-old when I played my first one-day international. I only played 36 in total. “Modern players play that many in a year. Batsmen are now so talented that teams have to bowl better than ever.
“Batsmen are inventive and clever. Modern bats have given them so much confidence because mishits are flying for six. It puts the bowlers under more pressure. I feel for them. It is a bloody tough time to bowl.
“It is not enough to be strong mentally. You have to have good plans, execute them well and think on your feet otherwise you get hammered”
Boycott said it was his job to be critical.
“Some people forget that it is my job as a commentator or writer to be honest. I am not in Australia to be England’s cheerleader or sycophantic fan,” wrote Boycott.
“My moderate ability as a one day batsman has no relevance to any opinions I give on the current England team.
“The facts are recently England have lost more one day matches than they have won so they can’t all be batting and bowling well can they? There must be room for improvement.
“If that comes across as criticism and people don’t like it then too bad because I’m not going to change.
“How are we ex-players supposed to give encouragement and praise when our team is so bloody stupid? We want England to win but they are making our job harder by being brainless.”
Oliver Holt Mail, the new Chief Sports Writer on the Mail, said “England were out-batted, out-bowled and out-thought.” — Agencies.
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