England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan slammed the English batters after they were bundled out cheaply for 325, losing six wickets in just one session. England had gotten off to a decent start, being 278/4 by the end of Day 2. But the English lineup scattered like a pack of cards against Australia and was bowled out for 325.
Following their 'Bazball' failure against Australia's short-ball strategy, Eoin Morgan pressed the Ben Stokes-led team to be "more calculated" against the "best in the world" Australia in the ongoing Ashes Test series. At Lord's, England lost track of their innings against the Australian pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, which claimed five of the six wickets on Friday, when Ben Stokes and Harry Brook were positioned in the middle at the start of day three.
“It will certainly pose a few questions in the changing room, simply because they are (Australia’s) attack is express pace. It’s accurate. It is the best in the world. You can’t just go and belt the best team in the world’s attack all over the place, it has to be more calculated than that,” Morgan said on Sky Sports after England’s innings.
England’s Bazball approach seems to have taken a dent, as they lost the first Ashes Test by a close margin of two wickets and now are somewhat on a back seat in the second Test. With Australia getting the opportunity to bat the second time so early on the third day, the Kangaroos will certainly look to put up a mammoth total and bury England under the pressure. The criticism against Ben Stokes’s and McCullum’s approach will only increase if England are unable to put up a fight at Lords.
