He may be 85, but former Test great Sir Geoffrey Boycott has delivered an almighty slap down of the England side after its staggering two-day Ashes implosion in Perth at the hands of a Mitchell Starc and Travis Head-inspired Australia.
The 108-Test veteran accused Ben Stokes’ side of recklessness and arrogance after they spectacularly threw away a winning position in the space of half a session, playing almost as if it was a franchise T20 match despite having more than three full days left to play.
“They never learn, because they never listen to anyone outside their own bubble, because they truly believe their own publicity,” Boycott declared in The Telegraph.
“As exciting as this England team can be, they are always only a blink of an eye away from self-destruction.”
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‘It’s like Russian roulette’—Sir Geoffrey Boycott
The Yorkshire legend wasn’t done yet.
“It is simple. Brainless batting and bowling lost England the match,” he bemoaned of an Ashes series that could—and, in so many ways, probably should—currently be 1-0 in England’s favour.
“Chasing balls away from your body on fast, bouncy pitches is fraught with danger. It’s like Russian roulette. Save those shots for low, slow surfaces where the odds are in a batsman’s favour.“
Like many before him, Boycott then called for captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendan McCullum to temper England’s batting approach in order to resurrect the series.
“One down, England now have to play catch-up cricket. To have any chance of winning the top six have to do better and stop giving their wickets away,” he said.
“Bazball, bad judgment, overconfidence, whatever the reason, it makes winning matches difficult. Against top teams like India and Australia it is a huge factor in losing.”
The Second Ashes Test begins in Brisbane on December 4.