Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott said that Joe Root and his team need to stop being nice to their oppositions. He added that Rot and head coach Chris Silverwood need to take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s warrior attitude.
“Virat Kohli has been a warrior captain going into battle and saying to his players: ‘Follow me. Believe in me. I’m up for the challenge.’ Joe Root and the coach Chris Silverwood have to do the same. No more platitudes, no more being nice,” wrote Boycott in his column for The Telegraph on Wednesday.
“They folded in the second innings, losing four wickets for six runs in 36 balls. Where was the steel? Where was the backbone? It is not about technique or how pretty you look. You have to be tough and fight it out in Test cricket and England don’t seem able to do it,” added Boycott.
The 80-year-old believes that Australian pacers will be studying every move of England batsmen for the upcoming Ashes series.
“The Australians will have watched the footage from the Oval. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will be queuing up to bowl at us.”
