Former England batter and commentator Mark Butcher expressed his fear about the Ben Stokes-led England Test team’s preparations for the upcoming five-match Test series in India.
England will not play any warm-up matches in India before the crucial Test series against Team India, but they have been preparing with an 11-day training camp in Abu Dhabi. They will arrive in Hyderabad three days before the start of the first match, on January 25.
Butcher said that he is concerned and terrified about England’s preparation for the Test series in India and the outcome, as they have not won a series in the sub-continent since 2012.
Mark Butcher said on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast: “Frankly I’d be a little bit terrified if I was playing. Most of the guys haven’t played any long-form cricket since July. Very few of the squad were involved a great deal in the rundown of the County Championship which finished at the back end of September.”
He added, “We’re now three months down the road with nobody having had any sort of middle practice at all. I would be a little bit concerned about not having felt that competition, being out in the middle and taking guard on something where the runs you make and your wicket are important.”
Butcher also recalled that England already suffered defeats against Australia due to the lack of match practice and now they are making the same mistake against India.
He said, “They did a similar thing leading into the Ashes series at home during this summer and were 2-0 down before they got going.”
The former batter continued, “You certainly couldn’t say for sure that this England side with a lack of experience, or a lack of hot shot spin bowling options in particular, would be in a position to do anything like they did against Australia, coming back from 2-0 down, against this India team who simply do not lose series at home.
The only thing with it is, it puts you under an enormous amount of pressure should it go badly. People have been delighted with Bazball, unbelievably happy with the way England have played under Ben Stokes and it’s been nothing but good vibes and good stories really, barring the odd selection issue from time to time.”
Butcher signed off by saying, “Everybody believes going to India that you’re unlikely to win a five-Test match series in India right? But what people will be less likely to be gentle about is if you go there without having done the requisite getting ready for it and then get battered. That’s kind of inexcusable.”
(With PTI Inputs)
