Former England captain and commentator Nasser Hussain blamed England's batting frailties for the tourists’ 9-wicket loss to Australia in the first Test of the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 series at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Following England’s massive defeat, Hussain bemoaned Joe Root and his team’s toothless performances with the bat in Brisbane and said they paid the price for another costly batting collapse.
Sliding from 220/2 overnight to 297 all out on Day 4, England left Australia for a paltry 20 runs to get off the ideal start in the ongoing Ashes series, with the hosts completing a 9-wicket win in just 5.2 overs.
As the defeat in the first Ashes Test leaves England with a mountain to climb in the ongoing five-match Test series, Hussain has pointed out that England has been facing batting collapses for a very long time while claiming the bowling has carried the Test team in the last few years.
Hussain told Sky Sports: “England fans, however much our bowling carries us over the years, will know over the last two or three years that the batting has disappointed and these collapses have happened. It does seem to me that England's batting line-up struggles to start the next day. It (Australia's) is a wonderful bowling attack, make no mistake. They have five genuine bowlers. It is not easy against this attack.”
He further explained, “This game was not lost today; this game was lost with the dropped catches and the fielding and most importantly 147 all out on day one. England has had batting collapses for a long, long time now. (Joe) Root has been their star player for a number of years now.
I think this year he is the only one to average over 40. I think Root and Malan are the only ones averaging over 30, I think Root and (Rory) Burns are the only ones with Test hundreds. That is not good enough, that is not going to win you that many Test matches.”
He also backed the star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who made a comeback in the first Test after taking a break in July 2021, to come good in the upcoming matches in the ongoing Ashes series.
Stokes could score only 19 total runs in both innings and failed to take a wicket in his comeback game in Brisbane.
The former skipper added, “Stokes always takes time when he has had a long spell out of the side -- and he has. He is someone who needs rhythm to batting.”
With England 1-0 now down in the Ashes 2021-22, Hussain said the tourists must avoid thinking about the Gabba defeat and focus on bouncing back in the pink-ball Test while highlighting their selection dilemma for the second day-night Test in Adelaide, starting on December 16.
The 53-year-old added, “I think the key is not to look back too much. Focus in on the next one, work out what you are doing with that bowling attack and the seam attack in particular. Because it is not easy, people will say bring (Stuart) Broad and (James) Anderson in. But the bowlers that have been bowling have now got overs in their legs. So they are the best ones physically to go and play the next one.”
He signed off by saying, “Broad and Anderson haven't bowled in anger in a match for months now and their ageing bodies, can you get them both in? I'd go with Anderson for the swing. And then what do they do with (Jack) Leach? All this talk about the pink ball in Adelaide. Yes under lights it can swing but the rest of the day it can be pretty flat and it can spin. So you might need your spinner.”
(With Sky Sports Inputs)
