Pope started the series promisingly but his need to feel bat on ball has triggered his downfall. A crisis meeting earlier this week identified England’s propensity to hit balls they should be leaving. This does not bode well for the out-of-form No.6.
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Should Pope be discarded, as expected, he will be replaced by either Bairstow or Lawrence. A World Cup winner, wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow has experience on his side while the younger Lawrence is worth investing in for future Ashes tours.
The replacements have the daunting task of coming in cold and reversing England’s fortunes against an Australia team brimming with confidence.
“It’s asking all of our batters, whoever does play, to do basic things very well,” Root said. “Get yourself in to an innings, give yourself the opportunity to go and make big runs, and build those big partnerships.
“I bang on about that all the time. It’s the fundamentals of batting, being willing to concentrate for a long time, being able to wear bowlers down, take them deep into an innings and make the big scores that put you ahead of the game.”
Echoing the comments then Australia captain Steve Smith made in 2016 after a humiliating innings defeat to South Africa in Hobart, Root called for his batters to adapt faster to the local conditions.
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“Look at these two games, it has been a mental thing for us, not through a lack of confidence but understanding the conditions and sniffing the danger,” Root said.
“I think we can be a bit smarter about that. We addressed that at the end of the game. We know we need to be better, and we have full confidence in our own abilities to put that right this week.
“It’s adapting to what is in front of you. It’s a basic thing in the game. With what I said at the end of the game it’s not about pointing fingers. Collectively we have to be better in all aspects of the game, and we weren’t good enough last week.
“We have to be able to front up to that and put in a better performance. I want to see a reaction on this wicket. However the wicket plays we make sure we adapt to it quickly and perform at a level that is of the standard of an English cricket team.”
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Christmas Day axe beckons for England’s misfiring batters
Source: Philippines Alive
