Senior England players have done ‘next to nothing’-
Swann
(Reuters) - Former England spinner Graeme Swann was critical of England’s senior players who have done “next to nothing” as Australia regained the Ashes in Perth yesterday.
Australia strolled to victory in the third test at the WACA, winning by an innings and 41 runs to take a unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series, with England’s batting line-up again putting up meagre resistance as they were bowled out for 218 in their second innings.
While rookie Dawid Malan has made 302 runs in the series, former captain Alastair Cook has struggled with the bat in Australia, as has Moeen Ali, and Swann believes that England’s troubles are down to these underperforming senior players, and the absence of one key batsman in particular.
“England do have a settled side if Ben Stokes is around but when he’s not, this team came over very weak,” Swann told the BBC.
“The senior guys who you expect to stand up and outshine the rookies have done the exact opposite. Joe Root and Alastair Cook have done next to nothing. The shining lights have been Rocky (Mark) Stoneman and Dawid Malan.
“I’m proud of the way some of the guys have played. Dawid Malan was sensational, James Vince was only dismissed by the best ball I’ve ever seen in a game. There are positives, I expected to be 3-0 down after three games once Stokes wasn’t coming.”
Stokes was omitted from England’s touring party following his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September.
LeBron James registered his fourth triple-double in five games with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists as the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Washington Wizards 106-99 on Sunday night.
Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 25 points, while Jeff Green had 15 points. Cleveland has won 18 of 19 games, including the past five.
Little separated the Eastern Conference contenders for much of the game as the teams were tied at the end of the second and third quarters. James’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter put the Cavaliers in front for good and sparked an 8-0 run. Green’s three-point play capped the surge as Cleveland led 95-89 with 6:55 remaining.
Bradley Beal scored 27 points for the Wizards, who had won two in a row. John Wall had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Washington made 12 3-pointers but finished 9 of 16 on free throws.
Reggie Bullock scored a career-high 20
DeMar DeRozan led a balanced offense with 21 points as Toronto defeated Sacramento.
The Raptors also defeated the Kings last Sunday in Sacramento.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points and added seven assists and five rebounds for the Raptors, who have won nine of their past 10 games. Garrett Temple and Bogdan Bodganovic each scored 18 points for the Kings.
Victor Oladipo scored 26 points as Indiana beat Brooklyn.