Shane Warne slams England's "negative approach" after drawn Lord's Test
Cricket legend Shane Warne slammed England's "negative approach" on the final day of the Lord's Test against New Zealand after the hosts secured a draw.
The former Australian leg-spinner believes Joe Root's England side missed an opportunity to make the viewing exciting for spectators.
New Zealand's sporting declaration set up the Test, with England needing 273 runs to win in two full sessions. But the hosts made no effort to chase, getting 170 for 3 in 70 overs before the sides shook hands and agreed on a draw. The England openers batted for almost 24 overs for just 49. Dom Sibley ended with an unbeaten 60 off 207 balls.
Tagging former England cricketers and pundits Robert Key, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, Warne tweeted:
"Disappointed at the negative approach from England yesterday as they never even contemplated chasing down a very getable total. A huge opportunity missed on how to chase on the 5th day, plus exciting for spectators, viewers & Test cricket."
England skipper Joe Root, who scored a patient 71-ball 40 on the final day, defended his team's approach citing the quality of the New Zealand attack.
Earlier this year, an inexperienced Indian side chased down 328 runs on the final day of the Brisbane Test against a tail-up Australian attack led by Pat Cummins. The chase was set up by belligerent knocks by youngsters Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, while Cheteshwar Pujara stood like a rock. The victory ensured a series win for India in Australia and marked the latter's first defeat at Brisbane in 32 years.
A few weeks later, West Indies chased down 395 on the fifth day Chattogram-surface against Bangladesh, with debutant Kyle Mayers slamming a double ton.
The aforementioned refreshing efforts by inexperienced sides have raised the expectations of fans and other stakeholders. England's approach has therefore raised many eyebrows across the cricketing fraternity.
Shane Warne lauds Kane Williamson for 'fantastic declaration' against England
Through a couple of tweets, Shane Warne praised New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's sporting declarations. He stated that risking losing to win is the key for a team to learn to win with either bat or ball.
New Zealand play their next Test against England in Birmingham on June 10, before traveling to Southampton to face India in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC).