Australia started the Ashes 2021-22 with a thumping win over England by nine wickets in the first Test at the Gabba. They allowed England to post a target of only 20 runs as the Test match ended in four days.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Geoffrey Boycott was not pleased with England's defeat and he slammed captain Joe Root and team management for poor performance. England were bowled out for 147 in the first innings, followed by 297 runs in the second innings of the match.
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In his latest column on The Telegraph, Boycott wrote that it will be better if the Englishmen play good cricket on the field rather than just speaking about it. He added that England needs to address the mistakes in both the departments before the second Test.
"Hey Joe! England have just been walloped by nine wickets so it isn't a good time to be telling us that England are not far away from beating Australia. It would be much better if you and your team answered with deeds and not words. Face up to the fact that England made mistakes which didn’t help our team."
"For a start, your batsmen and bowlers looked underdone and should have had three or four competitive matches before the series. The planning was all wrong," he wrote.
Boycott pointed out the terrible bowling performance by Jack Leach who was smashed by the Aussie batters in the first innings. Leach conceded 102 runs in the 13 overs with an economy of 7.84. "Jack Leach hadn’t played a Test match for nine months since early March in India," he wrote.
“He didn’t get a game during the English summer as England played lots of seamers - and then suddenly they expected Jack to bowl well in Brisbane. No wonder the Aussies went after him and in 13 overs he was whacked for 102 runs. I felt for the lad. Not his fault. Why are we so bloody stupid? We make it extra difficult before we even start the series," he added.
England and Australia will play the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, which is going to be a pink-ball match from December 16.
(With The Telegraph Inputs)
