"Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed had clearly not learned from watching Australia" - Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain joined the bandwagon in criticizing Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed after the pair failed yet again in the second Ashes Test. Nasser Hussain feels the two have to learn how to grind down bowlers from their Aussie counterparts.
Burns and Hameed fell before the close of play on the second day for single-figure scores to Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser, respectively. It left England trailing by a mammoth 456 runs as lightning and rain prevented another potential collapse.
Mitch Starc is TOO GOOD with the pink ball! #Ashes https://t.co/hMXMMI6j0y
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain thinks the duo failed to pick cues from the Aussie batters. Observing how Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, and Steve Smith occupied the crease and worked hard for runs, Hussain wrote:
"Opening the batting is the hardest job in cricket but Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed had clearly not learned from watching how Australia went about their business. Yes, Marnus Labuschagne was eventually out misjudging a straight one but in general, the Australians left the ball well and played for their off-stump. It is the way to go in Australia and Labuschagne, David Warner and Steve Smith all grafted for their runs."
Except for Marcus Harris, Australia's top-four made notable scores in their total of 473 before declaring. Marnus Labuschagne scored 103 after Jos Buttler dropped him twice, while Smith and Warner made 93 and 95, respectively. They sit in the driver's seat for the second consecutive day.
"Burns badly needs a score in the second innings now" - Nasser Hussain
Hussain feels Rory Burns must find a way to counter Mitchell Starc in the second innings, else his spot in the Test side is untenable. The 53-year old expressed as much disappointment with Hameed's soft dismissal and added:
"Burns badly needs a score in the second innings now. Let’s not just presume the alternative is better because Zak Crawley had a rough time before he was left out. But Burns needs to find a way of getting past Starc if he is to keep his place in this series and he is only delaying the inevitable by not taking first strike anymore. Then for Hameed to chip the ball to mid-on after seeing Australia grind down the England seamers and give them nothing was hugely disappointing."
The responsibility of rescuing England has once again come to captain Joe Root. Not only do the visitors need a giant knock from the number one Test batter, but they also require others to step up.