David Lloyd
David Lloyd. Image Credits: Twitter

Former English cricketer David Lloyd has stated that England’s plan of attack changed the moment Jasprit Bumrah walked out to the crease. Instead of knocking the stumps over, the bowlers went for the batsmen instead and tested the Indian tail-enders with a barrage of bouncers.

Going into Day 5, England had the game in their bag pretty much. They removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant on Day 5 and India had their backs against the wall. However, a rearguard action from Mohammad Shami and Bumrah saw the visitors put up an improbable target on the board.

Eventually, the total was enough as the hosts were bundled out for 120, conceding the Lord’s Test by 151 runs. Speaking on the roller coaster of a match, Lloyd stated that the moment Bumrah came to bat, England lost their minds and eventually the game.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami (Image Credit: Twitter)

The Test went away from England when Jasprit Bumrah came into bat. They just seemed intent on knocking lumps off him rather than getting him out. There’s always something great about a tail-end partnership. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami had fun at England’s expense. It looked as if England had lost the plot,” Lloyd wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.

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“Rory Burns and Dom Sibley were very square on again” – David Lloyd

England lost the Test on Day 5 due to tactical blunders. However, the problem doesn’t just lie with the captaincy or the bowling attack. The top-order of the hosts has been extremely lackadaisical. The openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns got themselves the ignominious record of becoming the first English opening pair to be dismissed for a duck on home soil.

Rory Burns And Dom Sibley, David Lloyd
Rory Burns And Dom Sibley (Image Credit: Twitter)

That’s the first time both England openers have been out for nought in the same innings of a home Test. An incredible stat. The pair of them, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, were very square on again. I keep on seeing a lot of their back shoulders. You just can’t play that way at this level I’m afraid, however good the bowling is,” Lloyd concluded.

Sibley and Zak Crawley were sent back to County to work on their batting while Dawid Malan received a call-up to the England squad for the third Test at Headingley, Leeds.

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