England should have done better: Geoffrey Boycott

LONDON: Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott said that England should have done better on the fifth day of the Test at The Oval. He was of the opinion that the Day Five pitch at The Oval was one of the best in the country. England slumped to a 157-run loss to India, losing all ten wickets on the final day of the fourth Test.

"Let's be honest, nobody was expecting England to chase down their target but they should have done better on a pitch like that. This was one of the best fifth-day pitches you will ever find in England. No uneven bounce, no seam movement and a tiny little bit of old-ball reverse swing. It was perfect for England's batsmen to make a good fist of it, not necessarily win, but have a good go and at least get a draw," wrote Boycott in his column for The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Boycott opined that England batsmen have to be prepared for every delivery coming their way.

"Jasprit Bumrah is a good bowler with an unusual action but every batsman in the world should expect bouncers and the yorker. You should want them early on. When I had a few bouncers whistling past my nose it woke me up. Same with the yorker. If I stopped his best ball, I made a statement: "I'm here. I'm up for the challenge. I'm no pushover'."

"You are batting for England against the best bowlers in the world so expect everything. Deal with it. Test batting is about bowlers setting you problems and batsmen finding a way to counter it. England keep being flaky. We have guys who can bat well in good conditions and on a nice pitch but seem to buckle when the going gets tough. Put bluntly, England are not good enough. When England win you feel Joe has to bat exceptionally well to give us a chance. But to be a top team you can't be a one-man band. Other guys have to stand up and do the business." (IANS)

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