England's 5 most alarming batting collapses in the BazBall era ft. 2024 vs Sri Lanka
England, one of the most dominant Test sides in modern-day cricket, suffered from an embarrassing batting collapse in the second innings of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Oval in London on Sunday, September 8.
Having secured a handy 62-run first-innings lead by bowling the Lankans out for 263 in response to their 325, the hosts floundered and were shot out for a lowly 156 in their second innings.
At the time of writing, Sri Lanka are 120-2 in their second innings, seeking another 99 runs to win this game. Despite losing the series, the visitors will be keen on picking up a win in this match courtesy of England's stunning collapse.
Such collapses have become all too common in the slam-bang nature of cricket England have incorporated under head coach Brendon McCullum. In this listicle, we take a look at England's five most alarming collapses in the BazBall era:
#1 3rd Test vs Sri Lanka, 2024
England faced one of their worst collapses in recent history when they went from being 66-3 to all out for 156 in the second innings of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka being played at the Oval.
Coasting and reeking of arrogance, England were let down by their batters, who had also thrown their wickets away in the first innings. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith added a semblance of respectability to the score with a 50-ball 67.
Sri Lanka are now in pole position of winning the Test, and many experts will hope that they do so given the poor record they enjoy in English conditions. Although England have already won the three-match series, this win might give Sri Lanka some confidence.
#2 1st Test vs South Africa, 2022
Another significant collapse for England was in the first Test of their 2022 home series against South Africa at Lord's. Batting first, the hosts were settling in at 100-4 before losing six wickets for just 65 runs.
After being bowled out for a lowly 165, England could not do much with the ball, allowing South Africa to post a monumental 326 on the board. All the Proteas bowlers combined to effect another collapse in the second innings.
England were 81-3 before Jonny Bairstow got out and the floodgates opened for the other batters to follow suit. Eventually, they were all out for 149 to hand South Africa a resounding victory. This was the first Test McCullum lost as England coach.
#3 3rd Test vs South Africa, 2022
England's failures to carry on and consolidate with the bat in hand bit them in the third Test of the same series against South Africa in 2022. Although they won this match by nine wickets, their first innings collapse was one to rue.
The Proteas batted first and could not quite get going. Seamer Ollie Robinson, opening the bowling alongside the experienced James Anderson, returned with figures of 5-49.
In response, however, England did not fare much better and went from 107-3 to 158 all out. The Poroteas floundered in their second essay as well, leaving England to chase just 130 runs to win the match and with it, the series 2-1.
#4 4th Test vs India, 2024
Another spectacular collapse England suffered was against India in the fourth Test of their series in the subcontinent in February earlier this year. Batting first in Ranchi, the visitors posted a respectable 353 on the board.
In reply, the hosts, led by half-centuries from Dhurv Jurel (90) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (73), conceded a handy lead of 46 runs to England, who could have made the most of it in the second innings, but did not.
Cruising at 110-3 at one stage, England lost wickets in quick succession and were eventually bowled out for a mere 145, handing India an easy target of 192 runs to win, which they did by losing just five wickets.
#5 5th Test vs India, 2024
England did not learn from their mistakes in the fourth Test of their series against India. They repeated the same in the fifth and final Test at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were going steady after Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first, but once the latter departed, a flurry of wickets fell. From 175-3, England went to 176-6 in less than two overs, to being all out for 218.
India responded with a mammoth 473 of their own, and another similar collapse in the second innings allowed the visitors to be bowled out for 193 despite a fighting 83 from Root. India won the series 4-1, merely losing the first match in Hyderabad.