England played like pretty boys says coach Trevor Bayliss
England’s nine-wicket loss to Pakistan in the one-off T20I at Old Trafford did not go down too well with England coach Trevor Bayliss, who launched a scathing attack on his side after they were comprehensively beaten.
After losing the final ODI at Cardiff and losing the chance of an ODI series whitewash against Pakistan, the hosts could only muster 135 for seven in their quota of overs, which included just a solitary boundary in the final 10 overs.
Pakistan’s response was swift and swashbuckling as the opening pair of Sharjeel Khan (59) and Khalid Latif (59 not out) put on a century partnership and scored more boundaries in the powerplay than the hosts managed in their entire innings and helped their side cruise to victory with nine wickets and 31 balls to spare.
Bayliss wasn’t too happy with the performance of his side and said they “played like pretty boys”.
“I thought we were very poor. The way we were going about it allowed Pakistan to get on top. We didn't show urgency with our running between the wickets," Bayliss said.
"We played like pretty boys there at one stage. Our strength is hitting the ball and we tried to get too cute too early. We want to win every game. You can coach all you want but it's got to come from within. The ceiling is still very high. We're still looking at how well we can play. We're looking at how we can become a bit more consistent.”
England captain Eoin Morgan was adamant that it was the change in conditions that led to a humiliating defeat after the visitors managed to chase their target of 136 with plenty of time to spare. The southpaw blamed the dew for the ease with whcih Pakistan openers began batting despite there being just 10 minutes gap between the two innings.
"I think conditions changed quite dramatically throughout the game," Morgan said. "With the benefit of hindsight, I probably would have bowled first and chased in the evening – given how much dew there was about. They certainly batted on a different wicket than we did."
Speaking to Sky Sports, former England captain Nasser Hussain believes this England side needs to be ruthless and believes the defeat had England coach all worked up.
Hussain said: “There is a type of pattern developing. They lost their last Ashes Test, their last Test against South Africa, and again against Pakistan away and at home. They lost the last ODI and the last game of the summer.
"It's like they can't keep their foot down and be ruthless. Remember, this is the side that was four balls away from being World T20 Champions. They were completely out-played. I think (Bayliss) wanted to swear at one point but he couldn't.”