Following an 8-wicket loss to Australia, Geoffrey Boycott slammed England’s display, calling it brainless and full of stupid mistakes. He said the Stokes-led side ignores advice, believes its own hype, and squandered a crucial first-innings lead.
Former England opener turned commentator, Geoffrey Boycott, lambasted the Ben Stokes-led side following their defeat to Australia in the first Test of the Ashes series at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 23. England suffered an 8-wicket defeat to the hosts in a two-day contest of the Ashes series opener.
After being bundled out for 164 in the second innings, England set a 205-run target for Australia to chase, but the visitors failed to defend it as the hosts chased the total with ease, losing only two wickets on their way to sealing a commanding victory. Travis Head anchored Australia’s chase with a blistering knock of 123 off 83 balls and a 117-run stand for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, who scored an unbeaten 51 off 49 balls.
England had a forgettable outing in the Ashes series opener as they were bundled out twice across two days, throwing away a 40-run first innings lead and offering little resistance with the bat as Australia took control of the match with ease.
‘Impossible to Take You Seriously’
Before the Ashes series, Ben Stokes disregarded the opinion of the ex-players, calling them ‘has-beens’ and stating that Test cricket has evolved over the years. Following England’s defeat in the Perth opener, Geoffrey Boycott fired back at the skipper, blaming the team’s loss on repeated ‘stupid mistakes’, adding that the Ben Stokes-led side cares about their own publicity rather than listening to those outside their bubble.
“Before this series started, Ben Stokes told the world that any ex-player who criticised them or had a different opinion were “has-beens” because Test cricket had changed and the past was irrelevant. Well, from this has been the message is simple: when you keep throwing away Test matches by doing the same stupid things, it is impossible to take you seriously,” Boycott wrote in his Telegraph column.
“They never learn, because they never listen to anyone outside their own bubble, because they truly believe their own publicity. Now it has bitten them in an Ashes Test, the biggest challenge of all, and unless they mount a spectacular comeback, they will regret it for a very long time,” he added.
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The captain and coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum adopted the ‘Bazball’ approach, an ultra-aggressive style of Test cricket built on attacking intent with bat and ball. However, England’s approach completely backfired in the Perth opener as the visitors collapsed under pressure in both innings, failing to balance aggression with game awareness when conditions demanded patience.
‘Brainless Batting and Bowling’
Geoffrey Boycott criticised England for leveraging a 40-run lead from the first innings on a bouncy Perth track and called them out for playing ‘brainless cricket’
“It is simple. Brainless batting and bowling lost England the match. A 40-run lead on a fast, bouncy low scoring pitch was huge, and with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope together at one stage, England were in charge at effectively 100 for one,” a former England cricketer wrote in his Telegraph column.
For the first time since 1921, England were bundled out twice across two days in an Ashes Test, marking one of their most humiliating starts to an Ashes series as Australia ruthlessly exposed their technical flaws and tactical naivety. Moreover, England are in search of an Ashes Test win on Australian soil since the 2010-11 tour.
England will look to make a comeback to level the series when they take on Australia in the second Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday, December 4.