"Jack Leach needs to get better and look at Nathan Lyon's bowling" - Nasser Hussain on Leach's poor performance in the Ashes
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes Nathan Lyon is highly superior to Jack Leach when it comes to providing control and taking wickets. Hussain advised Leach to learn from his Australian counterpart and stated that England needed a wicket-taking spinner.
Jack Leach, playing in his first away Ashes series, endured a forgettable start in Brisbane. Australia's batters targeted the left-arm spinner as his figures read 13-0-102-1. Leach couldn't make much of an impact in Melbourne either and went wicketless in the first innings of the fourth Ashes Test.
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Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain suggested England should inspect Lyon's ability and introspect why Leach went the other way. The 53-year-old wrote how Lyon's bowling allows the captain to attack and get wickets.
Hussain wrote:
"England must ask why Nathan Lyon is giving Australia such control and wicket-taking potential while Jack Leach is reduced to a holding role with negative bowling. Firstly Leach needs to get better. He has to look at how Lyon gets drop and drift and deceives the batsman before the ball lands without any hint of mystery. It means his captain can set attacking fields with men round the bat."
Equally, Hussain blamed England's management for playing Leach on a green top in Brisbane and omitting in Adelaide, where the wicket spun. Sympathizing the 30-year-old, he continued:
"Leach did not even bowl much for Somerset and the time for England to look after him was firstly by not throwing him in at the Gabba on a green top and, once they had done so with runs at a premium, by giving him more protection in the field. Instead, Joe Root had men up and Leach was battered all around Brisbane."
He added:
"Then, because England basically don't rate spin, they left Leach out at Adelaide and he had to sit there and watch Robinson bowl a bit of off-spin on a turning pitch. It must have made Leach wonder where on earth in the world he would play Test cricket."
Before the Ashes, Leach spoke about emulating Lyon for England and hailed the off-spinner for making an impact. The left-arm spinner said he wanted to imbibe Lyon's strengths in him by sticking to his own strengths.
Nasser Hussain criticizes England's fielding on day two of the Sydney Test
Hussain further condemned England's defensive tactics on day two in Sydney as Australia scored runs comfortably against Leach. He added:
"He was asked to bowl defensively so England could quickly get back to their seamers. That crazy spell on Thursday, with Leach getting milked for runs with men on the boundary, just summed it all up. And when he did find Usman Khawaja's edge on 28 England dropped yet another chance."
Khawaja, who was dropped on 28, proceeded to make a hundred to propel Australia to 416-9. England got through to stumps at 13-0; however, they have a monumental task on their hands.