"What good is that to English Test cricket?" - David Gower blasts England players for prioritising IPL over red-ball cricket

David Gower. (Image Credits: The Telegraph)

Former England captain David Gower has hit out at English players who prioritise the IPL over red-ball cricket. Gower criticised England's abject surrender in the final Ashes Test in Hobart after a spirited showing in Sydney.

England's 4-0 Ashes loss Down Under has sparked widespread criticism, with captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood especially coming under the firing line. The visitors' batting performance was a massive letdown, along with their questionable team selections.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Gower observed that unlike limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, Root hardly has a full-strength team available at most times, as players prioritise the IPL. He urged England to take red-ball cricket more seriously and improve their position in the World Test Championship standings, saying:

"It's been horribly obvious to people watching from a distance that Eoin Morgan has everything he wants with the white-ball team, but poor old Joe Root finds himself with people who aren't available because, where are they? They are in the IPL."

"What good is that to English Test cricket? This is the oldest, most important form of the game. We need to defend it. We need an England team that plays it well - not languishing at the foot of the World Test Championship."

The current WTC cycle has England at the bottom of the table, with one victory and six losses, behind the likes of Bangladesh and the West Indies. Notably, a few players were rested before the home Tests against New Zealand last summer and some were allowed to play the IPL during this period.

The Ashes losing it's competitive edge.

England last 16 Tests versus Australia:

Won 2
Lost 11
Drawn 3

England last 15 Tests in Australia:

Won 0
Lost 13
Drawn 2
#Cricket #AUSvENG

Interestingly, Joe Root and Ben Stokes have skipped the upcoming IPL auction, and have decided to play in the County Championship instead.

"A bit of futility came through" - David Gower on England's Ashes performances

David Gower also observed that the final Ashes Test deserved to go to day four instead of ending on the third. The 64-year old was disappointed by England's collapse in Hobart against high-quality bowling after an improved showing in Sydney. He said in this regard:

"As a pundit, when you are asked about England at the end of a series where they lost 4-0 and could easily have been 5-0, you are more than entitled to have a strong opinion. The context was the end of a game that should have gone into at least one more day."

"OK, we weren't going to win the Ashes, but there appeared to be some spirit. At the end, we were back to some sort of apologetic, abject collapse, albeit in the face of very high-quality bowling. It all seemed a bit futile."

Australia win by 146 runs and complete a 4-0 series victory.

Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6017ZQ3kB

#Ashes | 🇦🇺 #AUSvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://t.co/uaqdGvm4uJ

England now have a three-Test series against the West Indies coming up in March.