"They let the emotion almost dictate how they play" - Andrew Strauss on current England team
Former England opening batter Andrew Strauss recalled how his side used to have an assassin-type approach, unlike the current bunch. Strauss, who captained England to a rare away Ashes victory in 2010-11, reckons the current team let emotions dictate the way they play.
Things haven't panned out for England the way they hoped in the current Ashes series as they trail the five-Test rubber by 1-0. Following Day 3 of the second Test at Lord's, England find themselves chasing the game as Australia are ahead by 221 runs.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England captain opined that letting emotions dictate is a double-edged sword:
"We tried to be almost assassin-like in the way we approached things. This England team do it very differently, they let the emotion almost dictate how they play. It's why they've been to achieve such extraordinary things, but it's also why they're vulnerable. You always feel like they're potentially going to offer you a way back into the game."
England, led by Ben Stokes, walked into the Ashes series after winning 11 out of their last 13 Tests. Their aggressive gameplay since Brendon McCullum took over as coach has paid rich dividends so far.
"Ego maybe came into it" - Andrew Strauss on England's batting
The 100-Test veteran further claimed that Australia tested England's ego with the short-ball plan and the hosts fell for the trap. He said:
"If England were honest with themselves, there have been moments in this Test match - and Edgbaston - where ego maybe came into it. With Australia bowling short like that, yes England want to be positive against it and not take a backwards step but sometimes the odds aren't in your favour."
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Australia raised their lead to 221 by stumps on Day 3, with Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja in the middle.