Ashes 2021-22: England Need To Look Down At The Pitch Ahead Of Any Test: Nasser Hussain On Team Selection

Former England captain Nasser Hussain advised England think tank to be vigilant regarding team selection after a humiliating Ashes defeat to Australia.

Australia have retained the Ashes 2021-22 after holding an unassailable 3-0 lead against their arch-rivals England in the Ashes so far.

The Australians never let England settle right from the start of the first Test in Brisbane where they won by nine wickets inside four days.

They followed their success with a 275-run victory in Adelaide despite some dogged resistance by Jos Buttler to delay the result.

Australia thumped England on the third day of the Boxing Day Test match as they sealed the win by an innings and 14 runs to win the Ashes after leading 3-0.

The initial reset has to see them looking down at the pitch: Nasser Hussain

Both teams had a gap of six days between the third and fourth Test. Hussain feels England should start fresh and come out with better selections that suit different pitches.

“England have had to look after their players in COVID times, both physically and mentally, but for all their good intentions the extent of their long-term planning and rest-and-rotation policy has cost them Test matches,” Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column.

“The initial reset has to see them looking down at the pitch ahead of any Test and selecting the best team for that game, as if it were the World Test Championship final. Pick and play as if the score was 2-2 and they have to win to clinch the Ashes.

“A reset also means changing that mentality on the pitch and making better decisions off it. Australia is a hard enough place to go at the best of times without the mistakes Root and Chris Silverwood have made,” he added.

It will be extremely difficult for England at the SCG: Nasser Hussain

On the second day of the MCG Test, seven cases- three support staff and four family members were detected in the England camp.

England head coach Chris Silverwood was reported to be in close contact with a family member that tested positive. Silverwood will remain unavailable for the fourth Test with assistant coach Graham Thorpe will be in charge of the team management for that game.

Nasser feels that England players are going through a time and it will be difficult for them to overcome in Sydney.

“It will be extremely difficult at the SCG. They are 3-0 down, their brains will be scrambled and COVID is all around them,” Hussain mentioned.

“The players’ job in the last two Tests is for the batters who do play to find a way … That red-ball reset has to be made in the short term as well as the long,” he added.

Australia and England will play the fourth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the match begins on Wednesday (January 5).

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22: Ollie Robinson Ruled Out Of The SCG Test, Stuart Broad Comes In As Replacement