Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: England fans hurting after another tough day in Australia | England fans disappointed after England struggle again down under
We have seen this episode many times before. England, who came into the Adelaide Test meeting a side without Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, lacked penetration of their own as Australia ground them down once again.
Their decade-long wait for a Test win looks set to continue unless something extraordinary happens. After swearing to change their bowling strategy in Australia after losing 4-0 in 2017/18, England picked a near identical attack that conceded over 400 in the Adelaide pink ball Test four years ago.
And they struggled to create chances on day one of the 2021 Adelaide Test, with David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne playing patiently to wear the bowlers down. Plus, Joe Root’s team missed key chances, most notably an absolute sitter put down by keeper Jos Buttler soon after the second new ball was taken.
After picking five seamers who all bowl at a similar pace and style, England tried to adopt a short ball strategy via Ben Stokes in the quest for variety. While it nearly worked, England were left to work so hard just to pick up one wicket instead of providing a constant threat throughout the day.
To make matters worse, Friday is set to be a scorcher in Adelaide with temperatures nearing 40 degrees. If they don’t break the Smith-Labuschagne partnership early, England could be in for another long day in the field before being asked to bat against a new ball under lights.
England fans are hurting. It is a sense of deja vu. If they have a poor second day, the Ashes may be all but done after succumbing meekly in Brisbane. Here are some of the Twitter reactions from fans about yet another day of struggle in an Ashes Test in Australia.
