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Hide behind the sofa... we’re in for an Ashes thrashing, says Butcher
ENGLAND fans should hide behind the sofa rather than watch the Ashes this summer, says Mark Butcher. After a humiliating World Cup exit, England face a Test series in the West Indies, followed by series at home to New Zealand and Australia.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live, the former England opener warned fans to expect an ‘ absolute hiding’ and a ‘ horrendous six months’.
Butcher, who played in 71 Tests for England and scored eight centuries, added: ‘When Australia come, just don’t watch, hide behind the sofa.’
Here England are preparing for a dead rubber against Afghanistan, with Peter Moores’ men having far more to lose than just a meaningless group match.
The indications are that Moores will keep his job, at least for the Test series in the Caribbean, whatever happens at the Sydney Cricket ground tomorrow, but the last thing he needs is another desperate defeat by minnows.
The fact England turned up early yesterday for what used to be known as naughty-boy nets and had a full training session said everything about their need to take something from their worst- ever World Cup. Victory against Afghanistan would perhaps give Moores breathing space before the squad is announced on Tuesday for the three-Test series in the West Indies next month.
England will be without Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, two players who can still expect a one-day future, and it is far from certain that both will be able to take their places on the plane to St Kitts on April 2.
Moeen strained an abdominal muscle when bowling in the defeat by Bangladesh while Woakes has a ‘stress reaction’ in his left foot.
It is to be hoped England give games to the two players yet to appear in this World Cup: James Tredwell and Ravi Bopara, who could then be making their final ODI appearances.
After the World Cup England must start from scratch with a one-day squad who will be at or near their peak in 2019.
That means there is little point in persevering in 50-over cricket beyond tomorrow with the likes of Tredwell, Bopara, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson, who said yesterday he wants to play on. His is not a view shared by former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
In his Evening Standard column Prior wrote: ‘ Men like Ian Bell, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. . . remain key members of the Test side, so perhaps it is time for them to concentrate solely on that form of the game, especially with an Ashes summer approaching.’
There is a familiar figure at the helm of the Afghan team in coach Andy Moles, the former Warwickshire batsman.
He would have no qualms about piling on the misery for his homeland and said: ‘We still believe we’ve got a scare in us in this World Cup, especially if we show composure at the top of the order. If we hold our nerve and are at our best we can pull off a shock.’