Nasser Hussain blasts English batting techniques: Just bat normally !

[Markhor]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wYMmJCipBc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

England's defeat to New Zealand was no surprise for anyone watching England bat over the past 4-5 years in Test cricket. Even in a full strength English top six - only Joe Root averages above 40, and his home record in the last 3 years is mediocre.

England possess an enviable depth of powerful white ball batsmen. However in Test cricket, batting collapses have become the norm with an endless list of technically deficient batsmen coming and going. What are the solutions ?

A) Selection: Too many batsmen are debuting for England with FC averages in the 30s. Unless a generational talent emerges, the benchmark ought to be 40 plus. If you're struggling to get on top of County attacks - how will you survive quality Test bowling of the calibre of NZ or India ?

B) Technical coaching: England have not produced a world-class Test batsman since Joe Root which is a damning indictment of the coaching setup. Too many youngsters possess basic technical flaws. As Nasser mentions, why the need for all these weird and funky techniques ?

Rory Burns has like a million movements before the ball is even bowled - how are you meant to bat with any rhythm or flow ? Get back to basics and stop reinventing the wheel.

C) County Cricket: Relegating FC cricket to the margins of the season when the weather is heaven for seam bowling means batsmen don't spend enough time in the middle.

There are also too many weak Counties who don't pull their weight in producing international cricketers like Leicestershire, Glamorgan, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and others. Demote them to Minor Counties so FC cricket is an elite tournament ensuring higher standards of competition.

 

[Varun]

County cricket is England's biggest problem.

The rest of the world uses that as a stepping stone to become better batsmen and bowlers, but local English players have no idea how to do this.

The only time England escape their middling rankings is when they have poached some quality talent from other countries like Pietersen or Morgan who drag them by the bootstraps to some success.

Even Nasser Hussain is part of that breed - Hussain, Vaughan, Atherton etc. who were half decent only in one format of the game, find it difficult to average in the 40s, and lose interest in life after some home victories vs Australia. It's no wonder why they become better commentators than cricketers.

 

[Bhaijaan]

England are just back to being England. A decade of home dominance thanks to the rarest of rare occurance of having two World Record beating calibre fast bowlers in their line up made a few of the Sky Sports commentators take it for granted, forgetting how awful England has been for decades previously.

A country cannot sustain bring at the top in too many team sports. Besides England has Football, Rugby has higher priority than Cricket.

Once Anderson-Broad era is over, which is almost upon us, England are going to be finding it difficult to blow apart opposition batting line ups and then that coupled with the fact that English conditions are very friendly to even opposition Pacers, will always gonna keep making them lose tests.

In the 1990s, England had a better batting line up than they have now. But Ambrose-Walsh, Wasim-Waqar, Donald-Pollock kept outperforming English bowling, ensuring England remained a mediocre home team.

 

[Markhor]

England are just back to being England. A decade of home dominance thanks to the rarest of rare occurance of having two World Record beating calibre fast bowlers in their line up made a few of the Sky Sports commentators take it for granted, forgetting how awful England has been for decades previously.

A country cannot sustain bring at the top in too many team sports. Besides England has Football, Rugby has higher priority than Cricket.

Once Anderson-Broad era is over, which is almost upon us, England are going to be finding it difficult to blow apart opposition batting line ups and then that coupled with the fact that English conditions are very friendly to even opposition Pacers, will always gonna keep making them lose tests.

In the 1990s, England had a better batting line up than they have now. But Ambrose-Walsh, Wasim-Waqar, Donald-Pollock kept outperforming English bowling, ensuring England remained a mediocre home team.

Finally a serious post. You are exactly right - the bubble will really burst once Anderson and Broad hang up their boots.

ECB however will probably only act after the inevitable 5-0 in the Ashes because they know deep down that's the only Test series the average public cares about.

 

[Varun]

England are just back to being England. A decade of home dominance thanks to the rarest of rare occurance of having two World Record beating calibre fast bowlers in their line up made a few of the Sky Sports commentators take it for granted, forgetting how awful England has been for decades previously.

Must be some home dominance after they've spent the last decade losing series to Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa, and one-off tests to everybody else bar Bangladesh.

 

[JattMaula]

England are just back to being England. A decade of home dominance thanks to the rarest of rare occurance of having two World Record beating calibre fast bowlers in their line up made a few of the Sky Sports commentators take it for granted, forgetting how awful England has been for decades previously.

A country cannot sustain bring at the top in too many team sports. Besides England has Football, Rugby has higher priority than Cricket.

Once Anderson-Broad era is over, which is almost upon us, England are going to be finding it difficult to blow apart opposition batting line ups and then that coupled with the fact that English conditions are very friendly to even opposition Pacers, will always gonna keep making them lose tests.

In the 1990s, England had a better batting line up than they have now. But Ambrose-Walsh, Wasim-Waqar, Donald-Pollock kept outperforming English bowling, ensuring England remained a mediocre home team.

Brexit is the final nail.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Must be some home dominance after they've spent the last decade losing series to Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa, and one-off tests to everybody else bar Bangladesh.

That's still dominance.

In India we are too spoilt since our team has lost like 3 series in 40 years at home.

 

[street cricketer]

Always love a good old Nass rant.

Vaughan can speak a lot of rubbish but he was spot on when he said that the County cricket is geared towards producing 80mph gentle medium trundlers who are very potent in English conditions but become impotent the moment they lose help from the wicket and conditions.

In contrast, the Aussie pacers are used to bowling on flat unforgiving Australian wickets with the kooka which doesn't do anything remotely similar to the Dukes, and so only those who bowl fast in the channel and bend their backs rise to the top. It's why the Aussie pacers find it more easier to adapt to English conditions when they get extra help from the wicket and the Dukes, while the English gentle medium trundlers look helpless the moment they land in Brisbane airport.

 

[Savak]

Proves Imran Khans point, too many county teams actually dilutes quality and allows very poor avg players to play which ends up stat padding

 

[hitthestump]

England are just back to being England. A decade of home dominance thanks to the rarest of rare occurance of having two World Record beating calibre fast bowlers in their line up made a few of the Sky Sports commentators take it for granted, forgetting how awful England has been for decades previously.

A country cannot sustain bring at the top in too many team sports. Besides England has Football, Rugby has higher priority than Cricket.

Once Anderson-Broad era is over, which is almost upon us, England are going to be finding it difficult to blow apart opposition batting line ups and then that coupled with the fact that English conditions are very friendly to even opposition Pacers, will always gonna keep making them lose tests.

In the 1990s, England had a better batting line up than they have now. But Ambrose-Walsh, Wasim-Waqar, Donald-Pollock kept outperforming English bowling, ensuring England remained a mediocre home team.

I've been saying this for ages. Plus not only that, they have poached an unusual number of foreign players for their international side at the moment.

England were rubbish and they'll go back to being rubbish again soon enough.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Completely agree with the point about these weird looking batsmen England keep producing. Cricketing hipsters

 

[GenericBrand]

Its the price England paid for going for a team more suited for LOIs.

Sacrificed quality in one form for another.

 

[gazza619]

England need to bring the white ball players in test cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

Not sure what all the fuss is about.

It is cricket. You will lose a home series every now and then.

It is their first home series defeat in 7 years and when they were without three key players - Stokes, Buttler, Archer.

Moreover, it was up against an excellent team that is currently ranked number 1 and a team that thrives in English-like conditions.

England does not really enjoy any home advantage against New Zealand players. Their batsmen play swing really well and their bowlers swing the ball really well.

England need more runs from their support cast but it is hardly the end of the world for them.

 

[Mamoon]

Proves Imran Khans point, too many county teams actually dilutes quality and allows very poor avg players to play which ends up stat padding

It doesn’t prove his point because there is no link between number of FC teams and number of quality players that you produce. There are so many variables and other factors at play as well.

Both New Zealand and Australia have 6 FC teams but New Zealand have not achieved 1% of what Australia has in cricket.

India is overflowing with talent with 38 FC teams. Sure, you can argue that those 38 teams are catering to 1.3 billion people, but if we extrapolate this argument, how good would India be if they have 12 teams catering to 1.3 billion people?

In that case, every single player breaking through the system would be legendary material because you have to be a once in a lifetime talent to break into 12 teams out of 1.3 billion people.

So if India follows this theory they will never lose a game of cricket again. However, clearly, it does not work like that.

England have been number 1 and have won the World Cup with the same County system and they will do it again as well. They will also go through lean periods like other teams.

It is part of the cycle that every major international team goes through unless you are Pakistan in which case you are doomed forever, since your mentality is rotten to the core.

 

[Mamoon]

Its the price England paid for going for a team more suited for LOIs.

Sacrificed quality in one form for another.

If that is the case then it was a small price to play. England have achieved everything in the Test arena. However, the World Cup eluded then in spite of getting agonizingly close numerous occasions.

It was very important for them to lift the World Cup in 2019.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

They can easily replace Broad and Anderson with Ollie and Overton. The bowling is not an issue but the batting certainly is. Heads falling over , poking at balls outside offstump with hard hands etc .

 

[Markhor]

Nobody's claiming you can never succeed with an unorthodox technique, but those unorthodox players are exceptions to the norm whose techniques are not easily replicable for every young batsmen.

For every Smith there's the likes of Kohli, Root or Williamson who've succeeded with conventional setups.

And despite Smith's quirks he still does the basics right. Gets in line with the ball when defending and his head position on offstump, he's not falling over or playing around his front pad like a lot of these English batsmen.