Former Pakistan captain and cricket analyst Ramiz Raja was critical of England’s “extremely ordinary” top order after the hosts suffered a massive defeat of 151 runs in the second Test against India at Lord’s.
He believes that the English openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley “are of no use”, saying they aren’t good enough to survive against the quality Indian bowling attack. Burns scored just 0, 18, 49, and 0 while Sibley managed 18, 28, 11, and 0 so far in the five-match Test series against England.
As the Indian cricket team took a 1-0 lead in the Test series with three Test remains, Raja said it will be very difficult for England to stand up following the massive defeat at Lord’s in the remaining matches.
Raja said on his YouTube channel, “England’s top order is extremely ordinary. Their openers, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley are of no use. Haseeb Hameed, who was making a comeback, also looked nervous. Against a strong India bowling line-up, if you are not mentally and technically sound, you will be exposed.”
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The former Pakistan cricketer also said the second Test was all for the Indians even if the game was drawn at Lord’s.
He further explained, “Even if this Test was drawn with the hosts 7-8 wickets down, it would have been a moral victory for India. But following this defeat, it will be very difficult for England to stand up in the remaining Test matches.
They should have drawn this game, but India forced them into a corner with their aggression and made life difficult for them. England did not play their natural game because of India’s exemplary bowling, and the innings became stagnant.”
The commentator also pointed out that India looked hungry to make things difficult for England on Day 5 as he hailed the tourists fighting spirit to win from the precarious position at Lord’s.
He signed off by saying, “India looked hungry to make an impossible situation possible. Mohammad Shami’s counter-attack flattened England. The same fighting spirit was seen in India’s bowling as well. They sensed that England’s weak batting could be put under pressure.”
