Cricket News: Timeline of classic England excuses in Tests in 2021 | A look at the England excuses by media and pundits in Tests in 2021
It’s been some year for England in Test cricket. After the highs of Sri Lanka and first Test in India, England have since gone seven Tests without a victory, including five defeats.
The batting, apart from the sublime Joe Root, has the solidity of a wet tissue. England requires a proper inquest into their batting depth in red-ball cricket, which is a far cry to the seemingly unending depth in the white-ball formats.
However, don’t let those factors stop certain pundits and sections of the media bring out the excuses. Much is often made of the importance of the toss in Test cricket, and England have won six of 10 this year. Importantly, three of those came in the spin-friendly conditions in India, which can be a huge advantage.
England let that advantage slip with the kind of poor batting even seen in home conditions. Instead of focusing on these shortcomings, much has been made of other factors, including the pitches, inexperience and even what Jasprit Bumrah bowls to lower order batsmen.
Timeline of England excuses in Tests, 2021:
1. Pitches in Chennai and Ahmedabad, India 2021
England achieved a memorable victory in the first Test of their tour of India earlier this year. Skipper Joe Root struck a superb double century on a surface where the tourists got the better of the conditions as they had the chance to bat first.
However, England capitulated thereon, including a defeat in under two days in the Ahmedabad day-night Test. In those final three Test defeats in India, England won the toss twice on turning pitches. Such a result can be a huge advantage, as producing sharp-turning pitches is actually a risky ploy by India as those conditions can bring the opposition spinners right into the game.
Example? Australia in Pune, 2017.
With the defeats came major debates around the pitches. Michael Vaughan led the way, labelling the surfaces as ‘a shocker’ and not a “5-day prepared pitch.” Kevin Pietersen and co. also joined in.
In the final Test of that series, England batted poorly on a fine batting surface. By then, Vaughan and co. began to shift attention to England’s batting efforts.
2. England were ‘inexperienced’ against a new-look New Zealand, June 2021
England’s next Test assignment was in June against a New Zealand side looking to fine tune its preparation for the World Test Championship Final. In the first Test, England didn’t bother chasing 275 in 70 overs, instead batting for the draw and finishing at 170/3.
The home side went on to lose the series thanks to an abject performance against a New Zealand side without six of their first-team players including Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
However, coach Chris Silverwood pointed to England’s lack of experience against a side filled with inexperience themselves. “Once we get [Ben] Stokes, [Jos] Buttler, these guys back,” Silverwood said after the second Test defeat. “Getting that experience back into the lineup will help the younger guys and pull them along as well.”
England, in that second Test, had their first choice openers in Rory Burns and Dom Sibley. Ollie Pope, who is very highly-rated, was batting at six in his 19th Test. Joe Root was there at four. James Anderson, Mark Wood and Stuart Broad made up the key part of the bowling attack on a pitch that needed a spin option, but England decided to leave Jack Leach out.
Claiming that England, who have had a strong First Class competition for decades, are ‘inexperienced’ against a new-look side did seem a bit of a cop out.
3. Jasprit Bumrah vs James Anderson, vs India August 2021
Can’t complain about the pitches in a home Test, so what next?
This one is quite remarkable.
The Telegraph UK’s ridiculous tweet and article calling for a free hit for no balls in Test reeks of a culture of looking for excuses instead of accountability. Whether it is batsman one or 11, batting in Test cricket is exactly that – a test of mental and technical strength.
Bumrah’s short pitched bowling to Anderson not only ruffled the media’s feathers, but also the England side. With the game in their grasp on day five, England then got sucked into a short ball battle with Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, who then produced a game-changing partnership to start India’s drive towards a famous victory.
Instead of focusing on getting the batsmen out, England were hell-bent on getting square with Bumrah, placing up to five fielders in boundary-saving positions. The tactics drew criticism, including “poor”, “bizarre” and “shocking”.
There is a lot wrong with England’s red-ball game at this present moment. Instead of tackling those head on, there seems to be a tendency for England’s media, pundits and coaches to get sidetracked by other issues.
And the lack of accountability at times certainly creeps into their cricket.
