It looks like one of the worst Ashes tours for England in more than two decades. In their new era, led by captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, they found it difficult to claim a series win of any real significance. There’s not much they can do if the game offers scant chances for them to succeed. They’ve been dealing with so many other issues that’s made them so competitive in the current battle too against Australia.
The goings-on have fueled analysis and conversation around England’s tactics and style of play. Assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has provided insight on England’s tactics during the pivotal third evening in Brisbane. He emphasized the need for adaptability, stating, “We are trying to play the way we want to play.” Eighty something projects in and the team is still holding firm to only using one construction method, which has handcuffed their ingenuity. As a consequence, they often fail to keep up with the ever-changing environment that is our sport.
England are up against a very poor recent away record. Or that they have gone 4-10 over their last 14 games. The gulf of self-confidence The team has not won an away five-Test series against tough opposition like Australia and India. Historically, they have never managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit against Australia—a daunting statistic as they face the prospect of being down 2-0 early in the ongoing series.
Australia have taken full advantage of England’s plight, and proved the depth of their squad even with a makeshift second-string pace attack. Continuing their formidable run of form, they went on to “rissole” England, handing the home side a somewhat dire situation. Usman Khawaja’s crook back ruled him out of the match, handing a rare window of hope to England. They have not been able to fully capitalize on this opportunity.
… [adding] to England’s woes has been the fragile batting order, which has been a popular point of criticism. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith appears overwhelmed by the pressure of the occasion, and with no specialist backup keeper included in the squad, he is likely to remain under fire in future matches. Their batting struggles in particular have fueled harsh public criticism from teammates. Most players don’t have the luxury of knowing they can have an off night without facing dire repercussions.
Congruent to these challenges, England has taken a courageous step forward. Despite the lack of a county contract, they took a chance on Shoaib Bashir after watching a short social media video. This risky move has turned heads and underlined the urgency in these team selections.
As England has an eye on the long game in the series, a major test lies ahead. Anything less would be a historic loss, securing their legacy for all the wrong reasons. The prospect of a worst Ashes tour this century stares them in the face if they can’t make drastic improvements on what we saw down under.
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