ROOT’S ROUT
Ashes hopes in tatters after England are skittled for 67
ENGLAND were given a huge Ashes slap in the face by the Australians yesterday as they were bowled out for just 67.
And batting coach Graham Thorpe said: “There are no excuses, we must get better.” Hollow words perhaps from a side who have been bowled out for under 100 four times in the last 18 months.
Australia are already 283 runs ahead at Headingley and to make matters worse England’s fast-bowling star Jofra Archer is struggling
with cramp. “We’ve got to look after him,” said Thorpe, below.
“We’d like to have given him a bit more of a break, 30 overs is not quite enough.”
On England’s batting, he added: “There was some poor shot selection. It is an area where we are trying to get better, but if we want to compete with the best in Test cricket we need to improve.
“Test cricket is tough and you get exposed. If you don’t get your shot selection right you get punished. The guys we’ve selected we believe are good enough to do the job.
“We know they can do better as a group and that comes through guts and some skill and being able to play the situation out in the middle but we’ve been found wanting. It doesn’t just happen to us, but today is tough to take. “We’re working hard to try and improve our players. Maybe it is down to the mental side. The emphasis on the shorter forms of the game and the development of batsmen in general around the world.” Perhaps inspired by the exploits of his old Surrey and England team-mate Mark Butcher who made 173 not out to chase down 315 here in 2001, Thorpe and the dressing room still harbour hopes of something special, no matter how unlikely it seems.
He said: “It is not over from this position. I’ve seen Test cricket put some strange endings together and there have been scores chased down of over 300 here before.
“It would appear the bowlers have held the upper hand throughout the match but we have to believe we can do something special or there is no point getting out of bed.
“We have to be optimistic when you have an opportunity to do something. We have to get those four wickets and maybe our lads can do something in the fourth innings.”