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Boycott stated that the current England team is risking “being remembered as flat-track bullies” unless some adjustments for conditions are made.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. (Picture Credit: AFP)
The England cricket team conceded a 2-1 Test series defeat to Pakistan. Despite winning the first Test, England went on to lose the next two fixtures. Reacting to the result, former England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott pointed out that a team must be able to “win on all surfaces” if it wants to build a legacy. Boycott even went on to add that the current England team is risking “being remembered as flat-track bullies” unless some adjustments for conditions are made.
“And if you want to have a legacy as a great team then you have to be able to win on all surfaces. We have now seen that for all their great batting on flat pitches, this England team has an Achilles heel and other teams around the world will take note. Take England’s batsmen out of their comfort zone and you have a fantastic chance of beating them,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
“If they do not learn their lessons, they will not be remembered as a great team. Yes, they are entertaining and fantastic to watch because you never know what they are going to do next, good or bad, but Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum want their team to be the best. Unfortunately, they are wasting their opportunity and risk being remembered as flat-track bullies unless they make some adjustments for conditions,” Sir Geoffrey Boycott added.
The English cricket team kicked off the three-match Test series against Pakistan on a promising note with a convincing win by an innings and 47 runs in the opening contest. The hosts scripted a prompt comeback by winning the next fixture by 152 runs.
Pakistan completed their comeback and sealed the series with a resounding nine-wicket win in the final match. England could manage to reach a paltry total of 112 in the second innings of the third Test. It was England’s lowest innings total in Pakistan. England surpassed their previous tally of 130 set in Lahore back in 1987.
This 2-1 win against England marked Pakistan’s first home series victory since 2021. Back then, they had got the better of South Africa 2-0. The Pakistan bowling attack deserves much praise for this win. Following the defeat in the first Test, Pakistan brought Sajid Khan and Noman Ali into the squad. Overall, they shared 39 out of 40 English wickets. England were dismantled for 814 runs across four innings.
