"England have to find someone else"- Geoffrey Boycott on Dan Lawrence
Geoffrey Boycott believes Dan Lawrence does not deserve a place in the England Test team after his failure in the Nottingham Test against India. The former England captain opined that captain Joe Root and the English team management should look for another middle-order batsman.
Dan Lawrence made his Test debut earlier this year against Sri Lanka. He has played eight Test matches so far, scoring 354 runs at an average of 27.23. While the 24-year-old has scored 50 thrice in 15 Test innings, he is yet to bag a hundred.
In the Nottingham Test against India last week, Lawrence got out for a duck in the first innings. He scored 25 runs in the second before losing his wicket to Shardul Thakur.
Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott slammed Lawrence's batting technique in his column for The Telegraph, saying:
"I don't know what to say about Dan Lawrence. It is just footwork with him. They have to find someone else."
Geoffrey Boycott was also critical of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), saying the team management did not understand the value of allowing players to play county cricket ahead of a key home Test series. Ahead of the Test series against India, quite a few English players participated in the Men's Hundred 2021.
"I don't think our administrators understand how difficult it can be to transfer the mental approach and way of batting from trying to hit every ball to the different tempo and technique required for Test matches," Boycott added.
Jos Buttler's footwork and judgement were non-existent: Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott also provided his views on another English batsman, Jos Buttler, who failed to make his presence felt in the Nottingham Test. The wicketkeeper-batsman could not open his account in the first innings, while in the second, he managed only 17 off 22 deliveries.
Boycott labelled Josh Buttler's performance in the Nottingham Test against India a 'sad tale.' He blamed Buttler's long absence from four-day cricket for his failure, saying:
"Jos Buttler is a sad tale. In the first innings he got nought off 18 balls, and could have been out about seven times. His footwork and judgement were non-existent, but it is not surprising because he has not played any four-day matches."
India and England meet in the second Test at Lord's on Thursday.