ENG vs NZ | Nasser Hussain takes a dig at the English batsmen for their batting technique
Hussain takes a dig at England's batting technique
|ICC
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has taken a remarkable dig at Joe Root led England side for their lacklustre batting display against New Zealand, calling them 'right' and Viv Richards 'wrong'. Hussain also stated that the batting difference between the sides was 'chalk' and 'cheese'.
On Day 3, New Zealand looked in the driver’s seat after their bowlers ruthlessly rattled England’s batting order in the second innings of the final Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Saturday.
England was reduced for 122/9 at the stumps with some destructive spells by Neil Wagner (3/18) and Matt Henry (3/36) left them with a minuscule lead of 37 runs. Former England captain Nasser Hussain lashed out at Joe Root & co for their abysmal performance with the bat, calling the team’s batting technique, in a derisive manner, ‘right’ and that of West Indies batting maestro Sir Vivian Richards’ technique as ‘wrong’.
"There seems to have been a reinvention of the wheel out there with batting. Techniques out there that everyone else who has played the game before - they are all wrong and we are right. We're going to have these odd little techniques, we're going to have the bat coming across it, we're going to stand funny, we're going to swing outside our off-stump because everyone else in the history of the game - Viv Richards, you are wrong, and we are right," Hussain wrote in his Sky Sports.
England had a devastating tour of India where they lost the series 3-1 to the No.1 ranked team and there was a foul cry over the pitches favouring spinners abruptly. Hussain criticised the team’s approach towards their batting even when they are up with their full-strength squad at home conditions, where they cannot blame the pitches.
"I'm not seeing 'we are right' at the moment, whether it be in Sri Lanka where Joe Root carried them, whether it be in India and they don't have the excuse of the pitches turning here. Whether it being the seaming ball or the spinning ball, they are right and everyone else is wrong. And I don't see a young batting line-up. I see Sibley, Burns, Crawley, Root and Pope. There's no one missing in that top five - then come Stokes and Buttler. They've got all the coaches, all the backroom staff - please, just get back to playing normally and getting a first innings score," Hussain added.
New Zealand rode on sharp knocks by opener Devon Conway, Will Young and senior batsman Ross Taylor where all three of them got out in the eighties, the visitors registered 388 with an advantage of an 85-run first-inning lead. Hussain asked England to learn from their opposition’ batting which he termed as ‘chalk and cheese.’
"The other thing is, these are the lads that are getting the runs in county cricket. If you picked the five who are getting runs, these are them. So please, have a look at your game and more importantly have a look at the opposition - they are batting how you're supposed to. It's just chalk and cheese. Technically gifted, sound batsmen playing the game the way it's supposed to be played - let the ball come to you, leave it well and play with a straight bat. Six changes they've made and they still look such a sharp outfit."
