YOU LOST IT ..WE LOST IT
Bayliss says frustrated bowlers must take blame for defeat
ENGLAND’S bowlers were accused by coach Trevor Bayliss of losing their heads in the stunning Test defeat by the West Indies.
An astonishing turnaround in fortunes saw the tourists triumph at Leeds with captain Joe Root suggesting yet again the firstinnings batting performance was not up to scratch.
But Bayliss reckons the bowlers need to cop their share of the blame after their efforts in the first innings were repeated in the second as the Shai Hope-inspired visitors won with an unlikely run chase.
Of course it doesn’t help when your fielders put down seven catches in the game.
Frustrations are bound to mount as Ben Stokes’ demerit point for swearing illustrated.
But instead of keeping their focus and staying calm so they could make the most of conditions, they got rattled, conceding 427 and then 322-5 as Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite stayed in their own little bubble.
“When we bowled, we were a little bit two sides of the wicket and a little bit short,” said Bayliss (right). “We went past the bat a fair bit and got a lot of edges that ran down to third man.
“I think that frustrated our blokes, but we didn’t really follow that up with more good balls. We let them off the hook with easy four-balls. That doesn’t happen all that often, but it did on this occasion. We seemed to be fairly frustrated throughout that first bowling innings and I think that held over into the second innings. “It looked like we were under a bit of pressure and got frustrated when it wasn’t quite happening for us.” Stokes and James Anderson are two of the hotter heads in the team and give England some muchneeded aggression at times, and they will need that ‘mongrel’ Down Under this winter.
With confirmation arriving that Ottis Gibson will be leaving the ECB after the Lord’s Test to take up the head coach’s role with South Africa, it would be a pity if the department that has worked best over the last few years gives Gibson a meek send-off.
At least the batting department appears to be firming up ahead of the Ashes with Mark Stoneman given Bayliss’ backing as a scrapper after his maiden fifty, but with Tom Westley needing to prove a point.
“Mark looks like a tough type of player to me,” added Bayliss. “He looks like he’s ready for a scrap the whole time but, when the bad ball comes along, he is able to put it away.
“This last Test match will be another opportunity for them to really nail it down.
“I still have fingers crossed for them.”