Ashes 2021-22: "One plus about being in a bubble is that it will separate our players from the rest of Australia" - Geoffrey Boycott
Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott feels the English players are safe while in the bio-bubble, away from the rest of Australia. Geoffrey Boycott expects the visitors to be under siege amongst the Australian public and recalled an incident from the 2013-14 series Down Under.
Boycott was worried the English cricketers would face hostility from spectators, similar to their last two visits in the 2013-14 and 2017-18 tours. The Australian public will most likely dish out plenty of jibes, with Steve Smith and David Warner likely to be on the receiving end.
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Writing in his column for the Telegraph, Geoffrey Boycott remembered when Darren Lehmann wanted the public to ill-treat Stuart Broad and added that thinks the tourists are better off staying within the bubble. He wrote:
"On the 2013/14 tour, Aussie coach Darren Lehmann made Stuart Broadโs life a misery by asking the public and the media to give him hell for not walking in the Nottingham Test the previous summer. The one plus about being in a bubble is that it will separate our players from the rest of Australia."
Broad notably didn't walk despite edging one off Ashton Agar's bowling to slip, with the ball flicking Brad Haddin's gloves. The right-arm seamer later admitted that he hit the ball. The Australians were livid at the same, causing the public to give Broad a hard time when England visited Down Under in late 2013.
I understand why the players negotiated over their quarantine and bubble conditions: Geoffrey Boycott
Boycott also understands the English cricketers' plight, having committed to the tour after plenty of deliberation. The cricketer-turned-commentator called the bubble life a 'luxury jail' and that the visitors must gather all the resolve to regain the urn. He continued:
"It is bloody tough to win in Australia and it takes desire, commitment and 100 percent focus. I understand why the players have negotiated long and hard over their quarantine and bubble conditions. I support them fully because they have been in bubbles for two summers and it is like living in a luxury jail. It will be a comfort to have families and kids with them."
Despite picking a full-strength squad, Joe Root and Co. have to play out of their skin to win this time around. England's last two tours of Australia ended with scorelines of 4-0 and 5-0 and they haven't won a Test Down Under since 2011.