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After Kevin Pietersen went on a rant on England’s batting, another ex-cricketer has slammed their ‘lackluster’ bowling.
England captain Jos Buttler (AFP photo)
Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has joined several pundits in criticizing the Jos Buttler-led men’s team’s performances in the white-ball series in India after they conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI rubber, having already lost the five-T20I series 4-1.
England lost the match by four wickets after failing to defend a sub-par 305 on a good Cuttack pitch. While Kevin Pietersen, in the mid-innings break, had questioned the lack of ‘hunger’ from the batters to make their starts into big hundreds, Prior put the limelight on the bowlers and the fielding, saying they made it too easy for India and Rohit Sharma, who scored 119 off 90 balls.
“I think the worry is how easily India chased 305 down. Okay, they lost a few wickets at the end, but that was more boredom than anything as they were trying to get the game finished,” Prior remarked on TNT Sports. “Wood is bowling quick, but that isn’t enough on these wickets. You have to be accurate, execute properly, and put batters under pressure. England had no answer for Rohit,” he added.
“Pace on, pace off, (Mark) Wood was steaming in – but everything England tried, Rohit counterpunched. He is a class act and played a belligerent and classy innings. England got over 300, and the opening partnership is working, while Root got runs on the board. But they don’t look in great form as a team. They say you can tell where a team is at by their fielding, and there were some sloppy mistakes.”
In Cuttack, England got bowled out by the Indian pacers for the fifth time in seven white-ball matches so far — something they haven’t managed to do with the ball even once.
‘They just need to sharpen up’: Prior on England
Prior said England’s problems will be solved if they can play to their potential and talent.
“For me, you could tell they haven’t played 50-over cricket for a long time. There were just sloppy mistakes. It was just a bit lackluster. For England, the talent is there, the ability is there, but they just need to sharpen up in a number of areas. We know how talented the squad is and the team is, but you’ve got to go out and execute your plans on the field.”
The third ODI will be played in Ahmedabad on February 12, Wednesday.
