FORMER England opener Geoffrey Boycott has criticised the application of the national team’s current batsmen after yet another devastating collapse against Australia.Fresh from their struggles in Brisbane, England lost four wickets for six runs in the second Ashes Test as they were all out for a woeful 172 on a largely lifeless pitch in response to Australia’s 570 for nine.
Mitchell Johnson was once again their chief tormentor after taking seven for 40 although several batsmen were guilty of giving their wicket away at the Adelaide Oval.
Boycott believes too many batsmen are culpable of taking a limited-overs mindset into the Test arena, and accused the tail-enders of having no “bottle”.
“I think the modern young player grows up with so much one-day cricket, he gets used to playing and having to play lots of attacking shots to every ball bowled in Twenty20 and 50-over cricket,” Boycott told Radio 5 Live.
“When it comes to Test matches you want them to change and adapt, and sometimes play carefully and sensibly. It’s a five-day match, it’s like playing chess.
“Chess doesn’t happen in 10-15 minutes, it goes on for hours. You have to think your way through situations.
“They’ve forgotten the art of that, they’ve never really learned it and one-day cricket has sucked them in to playing lots of shots.”
Kevin Pietersen and Joe Root came were singled out for criticism from Boycott, who scored 8114 runs in 107 Tests, for handing the initiative to Australia.
Pietersen senselessly clipped Peter Siddle to midwicket after Joe Root had struck the first ball he faced from Nathan Lyon to deep square-leg to expose the lower middle-order to Johnson.
Of Pietersen Boycott said: “Irresponsible. I could see it coming.
“He got out twice like that in Brisbane.
“They didn’t give him anything to hit for 12 balls – he got two outside edges only – and what does he do, he can’t resist from whipping, not even off his legs, from off-stump to two men waiting for it in the box.
“It was as stupid as you get like Joe Root.
“First ball from a spinner – we’re trying to save the game – he tries to slog him over the top. All he had to do was carry on batting all day long.
“There’s no excuse for it.
“They haven’t got the aptitude and the tail-enders haven’t got the courage, they haven’t got the technique, they haven’t got the bottle and any time he (Johnson) gets to them he’ll blow them away.” (PA Sport)