“Shambolic”, “subdued”, “too much casualness” - Cricket experts tear into England for lackluster showing on Day 1 of Lord’s Test
Despite the close loss at Edgbaston by two wickets in the opening Ashes 2023 Test, England fans and critics were hopeful of the hosts making a strong comeback at Lord’s. The home team had luck with the toss as they inserted Australia into bat under overcast conditions on a green pitch. The good news for England, however, ended there.
Australia’s openers featured in a defiant stand of 73 to get the visitors off to a solid start, battling the tricky period. The fielders did not help the bowlers’ cause dropping two catches. While Josh Tongue managed to dismiss, Usman Khawaja (17) at the stroke of lunch, it was Australia’s day without doubt.
David Warner (66 off 88) went on to compile a much-needed half-century, while Steven Smith returned unbeaten on 85 off 149 balls. Travis Head (77 off 73) yet again took the attack to the English camp, while Marnus Labuschagne (47 off 93) also chipped in with a defiant knock.
For England, barring a couple of big wickets for Tongue and Joe Root’s twin strikes in the last session, there was not much to cheer for.
Several former cricketers were extremely critical of Ben Stokes and co. for their lethargic performance on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test.
Here’s what some had to say.
“Where was the spark?” - Nasser Hussain on lack of urgency in England camp
According to former captain Nasser Hussain, the desired spark was missing from the England team. He opined that the hosts showed no urgency despite having great conditions to bowl.
He wrote for the Dail Mail:
“They were subdued despite winning the toss and there was a real lack of intensity to their bowling attack - the speeds of each of the five seam bowlers was down and they didn't bowl bouncers to change things up - while the fielding was sloppy and they missed catches.
“Where was the spark? Where was the urgency? When the Just Stop Oil protest happened, there was a lot of chat and then, when it rained they strolled off and were still upstairs when the Australian batters were waiting on the steps at the bottom of the pavilion.
"In those drizzly conditions, if the umpires call you back on, you want to be rushing on straight away as a fielding team, bowling as much as possible,” Hussain added.
“I see too much casualness” - Michael Vaughan
Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, claimed that the home team have been way too casual in their approach for a high-intensity tournament like the Ashes.
First Ashes wicket secured 🔒
Masterful from Josh Tongue ✨
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Pointing out to the hosts letting Australia off the hook in Edgbaston, Vaughan added, positive talk is fine, but they need to transform it into performances.
The former batter told BBC:
"I worry about England. I see too much casualness. They switched off last week at Edgbaston and today when it has really mattered, England haven't been switched on quick enough and hard enough to win the moment. Some of the messages, particularly after the loss at Edgbaston, were very positive, almost as if England had won that Test match. They hadn't, they'd lost. If you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk."
"I just get the sense that it's just another game of cricket. The Ashes is not just another game of cricket. You can be as casual as you like against many other sides, but I'm afraid this is when it matters. Against Australia, this is what defines you. They haven't bowled well enough, haven't caught well enough and they're bowling no-balls.
"It is just not good enough. When they got David Warner out, Steve Smith got four or five juicy half-volleys. It got him going," he added.
“This is not Ashes cricket” - Kevin Pietersen blasts England
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen also lashed out at Stokes and co., describing their performance with the ball on Day 1 at Lord’s as 'absolutely shambolic'.
The 43-year-old claimed that while conditions were totally in the bowling side’s favor, there was no desperation from the English team to make an impact.
During a discussion on Sky Sports, Pietersen commented:
“From an English perspective, it’s absolutely shambolic. You have overhead conditions, a wicket that suits your bowlers and you got bowlers running in at 78, 79, 80 miles an hour. Now, its one thing walking here, swanning around and saying, ‘Hey, this is a wonderful team to play in, we are creating the best environment,’ but this is not Ashes cricket. I’ve played Ashes cricket. I’ve played 30 Test matches against Australia.
“You know Australian players [openers] were outside to bat before the English bowlers. The English bowlers this morning should have been on those stairs, saying, ‘We desperately wanna bowl out Australia.’ These two Australian batters are out there waiting for England," he added.
“They should read the conditions a lot better” - Ian Healy takes a dig at England
Former Australian keeper-batter Ian Healy questioned the hosts for failing to utilize home conditions to their advantage. He opined that the English bowlers were way too short in their length at a time when they needed to entice the batters into driving.
Sharing his thoughts on SENQ Breakfast, Healy commented:
"It looks like a very normal Lord’s wicket and under such skies will seam around. That’s exactly what it did. They were a real handful in the first session, but every one of the bowlers bowled too short.
"Khawaja was able to stay in his crease and just wait for the ball to come to him because it was short of a length. Warner was getting nothing to drive at a time when you wanted to entice the drives from batsmen because it was nipping away. It was seaming, it was beating the bat and they just didn’t use it well enough.
Praising the Australians for being very organized, he added:
"It was a fantastic day, a really great first day by Australian in a very crucial Ashes contest. A brand new ball, seaming away from left handers and they’re standing too close to the bat. The touring team are supposed to do that sort of stuff, not the home team. They should read the conditions a lot better."
“Another opportunity missed” - David Lloyd
Renowned commentator and former cricketer David Lloyd described England’s inability to keep Australian batters in check under favorable bowling conditions as ‘another opportunity missed’.
down! Joe Root strikes twice in an over and Australia are 5️⃣ down!
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According to Lloyd, the hosts’ lackluster showing in the opening session set the tone of the day.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd wrote:
“After all the queues, what a strange and subdued morning session it was. The crowd was quiet until the stroke of lunch and it was a far cry from everything we witnessed at Edgbaston. All very underwhelming with a lot of stopping and starting and in the end, the session just passed England by and set the tone for the rest of the day.
"That should have been a tricky session for Australia under dark skies but it was anything but. Another opportunity missed for England,” he concluded.
Australia will resume Day 2 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s with Smith 15 away from another Test ton. At stumps on Day 1, keeper-batter Alex Carey (11* off 34) was giving him company.