David Lloyd
David Lloyd. Image Credits: Twitter

Former England player David Lloyd has rebuked England national selectors for the selection of England’s team that will tour Australia for Ashes in December.

On Sunday, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) named a 17-member squad led by Joe Root for the Ashes tour in the December-January window. Hussain said it was a very predictable squad and said that the Lancashire duo was overlooked.

Your bowling attack needs pace and England left out Saqib Mahmood: David Lloyd

Lancashire pacer Saqib Mahmood and leg-spinner Matt Parkinson played a vital role for England in the three-match ODI series against a formidable batting line-up of Pakistan. The duo shared 14 wickets between them with Mahmood leading the series with nine wickets.

Saqib Mahmood (PHoto- Twitter)
Saqib Mahmood (PHoto- Twitter)

Lloyd stressed on Mahmood being overlooked as England lack in genuine pacers after Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the entire season. Lloyd said that Parkinson and explosive batsman Liam Livingstone were also missing from England’s Ashes squad.

“To say that I was surprised when I saw the squad England had picked to go to Australia would be an understatement — I was absolutely flabbergasted. They’ve picked a team of blockers, medium-pacers and short finger-spinners. You don’t exactly need to be a student of the game to know how that ends in Australia,” Lloyd wrote in his column for Daily Mail. 

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“For me, three of the first names in the squad would have been Saqib Mahmood, Liam Livingstone and Matt Parkinson. That’s not Lancashire bias — it’s a reflection of the kind of cricketers you need to stand a chance of winning in Australia. Your bowling attack needs pace and, because the Kookaburra ball offers you so little, reverse swing. Mahmood has both, so what did England do? Left him out,” he added. 

You don’t win in Australia with blockers at the top: David Lloyd on England openers

England skipper Joe Root had an astounding Test series against India, which is yet to be completed, as he topped the run-scoring charts with 564 runs from seven innings at an average of 94.00.

Barring Root, Jonny Bairstow (184) and Rory Burns (183) were the other batters that meagrely contributed to England’s scoreboard.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Jonny Bairstow, Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns of England on the field after India won the 4th LV= Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval on September 06, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 06: Jonny Bairstow, Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns of England on the field after India won the 4th LV= Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval on September 06, 2021, in London, England. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Lloyd was happy with Root and Bairstow’s selection but reprimanded on England’s new opening combination of Burns and Haseeb Hameed, who scored a couple of half-centuries against India.

“Let’s look at the players they have taken. Joe Root is an exceptional batsman, and I’m a big fan of Jonny Bairstow, but you don’t win in Australia with blockers at the top of the order, such as Haseeb Hameed, or openers who don’t stand properly, such as Rory Burns,” Lloyd mentioned. 

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The first Ashes Test will start on December 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Also Read: Ashes 2021/22: Nasser Hussain Names Two Young England Players Who Were Overlooked For Selection