"A lot of this team haven't played a lot of cricket" - Nasser Hussain on England's missed chances on Day 2 of the first Ashes Test
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes a lack of competitive cricket led to the hosts' sloppy play and missed chances on Day 2 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Winning the toss and batting first, the Three Lions posted a healthy 393-8 declared in their first innings. In reply, Australia stuttered to 67-3 in the first session on Day 2 before mounting a comeback to finish the day on 311-5, with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 126 and Alex Carey on 52.
Speaking to Sky Sports at the close of play on Day 2, Hussain summed up the day's play as a case of missed opportunities for the home team.
"I think a hard day really," he said. "Day two, Edgbaston, it is usually a good day for batting. It is a slow, turgid pitch on which they had to work hard for everything."
"It did start to spin, I thought Moeen Ali bowled beautifully, but then I thought they were a bit sloppy in that last session. Missed stumping, dropped catch, no-ball wicket. A lot of this team haven't played a lot of cricket. It isn't just a skill-based thing it is a fitness thing. That came to the fore in the last session," Hussain added.
Wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow had a tough day in the office, missing a stumping of Cameron Green and dropping a catch of Alex Carey. Green was on naught when he got the reprieve and scored a valuable 38, while Carey was let off on 26.
To compound matters, Stuart Broad produced a peach with the second new ball to knock over centurion Usman Khawaja only for it to be deemed a front-foot no-ball.
England recently played Ireland in a one-off Test ahead of the Ashes. However, some of the players did not feature in the contest, making their last competitive outing in Test cricket during the tour of New Zealand in February.
"I’m not really a big no-ball bowler" - England pacer Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad admitted to being frustrated at bowling a no-ball at the most inopportune time during Day 2 of the first Ashes Test.
The England pacer cleaned up Usman Khawaja in the first over with the second new ball, only to have the decision overturned due to overstepping the mark.
Speaking to BBC at the end of stumps on Day 2, Broad said:
"It’s really frustrating. I’m not really a big no-ball bowler. I have probably bowled more today than in a Test match day before. There’s no excuse. But it is the first innings of an Ashes Test match, you have some big emotions there so you are trying to gain energy from the surface and maybe pushing a little bit too hard. It is something to be aware of."
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Broad also felt the nature of the playing surface did not assist the seamers and hoped for better pitches moving forward.
"It is a very slow, low surface that zaps the energy out of the ball," he said. "It is pretty characterless so far, pretty soulless, but you can only judge a surface towards the end of the match and see how it develops. It is certainly one of the slowest pitches I can remember bowling on in England."
"It has been hard work for the seamers and ultimately we are looking to entertain, have fun and get the crowd jumping and it is quite a difficult pitch to get play and misses on and nicks to slip on. Hopefully it is not a trend for the whole series," Broad concluded.
On a disappointing day in the field, England bowled 13 no-balls, with Broad contributing nearly half of them.
Despite the futile Edgbaston track, the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket was the pick of the England bowlers, with figures of 2/49 in 16 overs.