"We did not bat well enough" - James Anderson targets English batters for failing to perform on a flat track
Veteran pacer James Anderson has called out England batters for their dismal performance in the second Test of the ongoing Ashes.
In his column for The Daily Telegraph, the seasoned campaigner wrote that there was not much movement on offer for the bowlers in the day-night Test in Adelaide and that the team's batting unit had failed on a flat surface.
"We did not bat well enough on a pitch where the data said it was one of the flattest Adelaide surfaces ever produced and the pink ball did the least it has ever done in a day-night game," he wrote.
England were bowled out for 236 and 192.
"From a bowlers' point of view, you want to be hitting the right lengths all the time. We did our best on the first two days to do that... Maybe we could have gone a touch fuller at times, but we still created quite a few changes that were not taken," Anderson added.
The hosts are 2-0 up in the series.
“We have to be better at assessing it during a game. We can’t just go after the game, ‘we should have bowled fuller’… We have to be a bit more proactive at that too as a whole group,” Anderson further said.
Two-zip! We like the sound of that!
A determined effort by our bowlers eventually saw us clinch the win by 275 runs.
Brilliant Test match, brilliant performance 👏 #Ashes https://t.co/nEboWTp77y
"We honestly believe we can beat Australia this time" - James Anderson
The 39-year-old Anderson is confident England can stage a comeback if they bring out their A-game.
"I have been to Australia a few times before and in the past we have lost the first couple of games and it has felt like a daunting uphill battle. We honestly believe we can beat Australia this time. We feel we are not too far away," Anderson said.
The pacer expressed concern over the team's inconsistency, saying:
"Nobody could disagree that we are not performing well enough. And it has not just been these last two games. It has been for a period of time that we have been inconsistent. We have shown glimpses of how good we can be, but we have not done it consistently enough and that is where we need improvement."
The third Test starts in Melbourne on Sunday, December 26.