"I think it went wrong again before a ball went down" - Nasser Hussain on England's defeat in the pink-ball Test
Former England captain Nasser Hussain criticized Joe Root and co. for their long list of errors in the ongoing Ashes series. Nasser Hussain, along with another former England captain, Robert Key, mainly pinpointed England's over-reliance on Joe Root as they trail the series 2-0 after the second Test.
England's batting unit has collapsed in all four innings of the series so far as Australia's bowlers have exposed their frailties relentlessly. Root, who is in the form of his life, is England's highest run-getter, managing 175 runs in four innings. However, the visiting captain also has a duck to his name.
A brave fight on the final day but Australia win the second Test to take a 2-0 series lead.
Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6017Zumm9
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain scoffed at England's selections in both Brisbane and Adelaide. Hussain observed the tourists' blunder of not picking James Anderson or Stuart Broad at the Gabba and then going without a frontline spinner for the pink-ball Test.
"I think it went wrong again before a ball went down. For the life of me, I can't work out how on a green top in Brisbane you win the toss and bat and play a balanced attack with a spinner - and leave out Broad and Anderson - and then you turn up to a flat, dry hot one in Adelaide, with no cloud cover throughout the Test match, and you play five seamers and leave out your spinner."
However, Hussain conceded that England's batting is the most concerning aspect as they made sub-par totals in Adelaide. He stated:
"With all that, the bottom line is the batting. On a good pitch in Adelaide they scored 230 in the first innings and 190 in the second, so the batting - with the exception of Root - continues to be a serious concern for English cricket."
England's openers have been the most worrying aspect for them so far as Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have struggled to get going. The duo's highest partnership in four innings has been 23 and the remaining three are single-figure scores.
"It's far too reliant on Joe Root and has been for the last two years" - Robert Key
Meanwhile, Key believes England have been over-reliant on Root for far too long and lamented players like Rory Burns underperforming to the hilt.
"It's far too reliant on Joe Root and has been for the last two years, in fact, even longer than that because we were talking like this when we were saying they were reliant on Cook and then Root.
"These guys like Rory Burns, people like that, they're the ones that are meant to be the senior, trusted players that are meant to go on to become good Test cricketers at the least. If you're not getting that from them then you're looking to your youngsters who should be there learning and taking it for a bit of experience."
The third Ashes Test, a Boxing Day affair, begins on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. England need a monumental effort to stage a comeback and regain the Ashes urn.