Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Sir Geoffrey Boycott has not held back in his analysis of England’s terrible Ashes display. The former opener described Brendon McCullum, Rob Key and Ben Stokes as “three unwise men”, claiming their arrogance is the key reason why England performed so poorly.
England’s 4-1 series defeat was marred by poor batting, inconsistent bowling and awful fielding. Legends warned the current regime of the consequences of poor preparation, but those calls fell on deaf ears as Key, McCullum and Stokes were adamant their approach was the right way to go.
“All the former players who had won Test matches and Ashes series in Australia tried to tell them they were wrong and needed competitive practice matches for the bowlers to get overs in their legs and find the most effective lengths to bowl on Aussie pitches,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
“The batsmen needed to score runs in the middle to boost their confidence and get used to the extra pace and bounce on very hard surfaces.
“But no, the three wise men knew better even though none of them had won a Test series in Australia. Our captain embarrassed himself and disrespected former players by telling the world that those old players were “has-beens”.
England management sold a lie for three years – Geoffrey Boycott
Boycott was scathing of England’s culture. He believes there is no accountability – a key reason why the same mistakes continued to surface.
“England’s three wise men turned out to be the three stooges. Brendon McCullum, Rob Key and Ben Stokes sold a lie for three years,” Boycott wrote.
“McCullum and Key said they had been planning for the Ashes all that time but this was a slapstick tour riddled with mistakes and they deserved to lose 4-1.
“McCullum’s philosophy is do your own thing. Play without a care in the world. Express yourselves and if you get out, no problem, it’s not your fault. Nobody tells them off, there is no accountability, and nobody gets dropped so they just keep doing the same daft things.”
From driving on the up in Perth to some of the worst dismissals you’ll see in Sydney, England’s batting reflected a culture so caught up in their Bazball philosophy that it ended up being detrimental to their chances. Their lack of game awareness was telling, failing to take advantage of factors such as Australia’s risky decision to play just three specialist bowlers in the SCG Test.
Calls are growing louder for Key and McCullum to be removed from their roles. Their recent interviews for Sky Sports frustrated fans and pointed to the poor decision making that marred this tour.
“After a chastened England lost the first three Tests and the Ashes in only 11 days the three wise men were under pressure to keep their jobs,” Boycott wrote.
“McCullum says they are going to learn some lessons and Key backs McCullum. In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies “they would say that wouldn’t they” now their jobs are on the line.
“Of course they don’t want to lose their jobs. It’s a cushy number and so well paid. How can we believe any of them when for three years they have all been so intractable in their views? Does a leopard change its spots? How do we know they won’t just carry on as normal?”
England’s attention will now turn to T20 cricket ahead of next month’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Their next Test will be at home to New Zealand in June.
“If the three wise men stay then the ECB has to make sure there is some sort of change. Key should be told to invite a couple of the past great players like Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and David Gower to sit with him and McCullum, and even the captain, to receive first-hand some fresh and different ideas,” Boycott wrote.
“The ex-players have been winners in Ashes series so know what they are talking about. How many times can I say we former players want England to win.”
