The Hundred Will Help England Win WTC: WV Raman Takes A Dig At England Experts For Blaming IPL For Ashes Defeat

Former Indian cricketer WV Raman chastised the opinions of England experts that IPL is the reason why national players are lagging behind in Test cricket.

England ended their disastrous Ashes campaign with a 146-run loss to Australia in Hobart to suffer a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat.

England batting once again collapsed in Hobart to end the series on an embarrassing note

Despite being in the command of the 270-run chase after openers Zak Crawley and Rory Burns provided an excellent start with their alliance of 68 for the opening stand, England’s batting order collapsed in the blink of an eye.

England lost 10 wickets for 56 runs on the third day of the Hobart Test as the visitors were bowled out for 124 after Australian all-rounder Cameron Green turned the game with his brilliant spell.

Apart from the draw in Sydney, England were completely outplayed by the Australians in almost each session of the series. With more than two days left to chase in Hobart, this was the best opportunity for England to win a Test Down Under for more than a decade later.

England pundits like David Gower pointed out that England player’s participation in the cash-rich IPL is the reason for their downfall in Test cricket.

“Joe Root finds himself with people unavailable, because where are they? The IPL. What good is that for English Test cricket?! This is the oldest, more important form of the game, we need to defend it,” Gower told BT Sport.

Shambolic performance by England in Ashes: WV Raman

Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODI matches for India between 1988-1997, had a counter-argument for those who blamed IPL for England’s poor performance in Ashes. Raman asked that the Hundred-ball cricket, which is the new brainchild of ECB, will help England to find success in the red-ball format.

“Shambolic performance by England in #Ashes. Reason according to their former captains – #IPL. So, we are to assume that The Hundred will help them win the WTC. I will anyday prefer listening to good old fables of Aesop,” Raman wrote on his Twitter handle.

“If their main contention is that playing in the #IPL results in deterioration of temperament and skills, can’t be helped.. When there is a choice, each individual will opt for what he thinks is best for him,” he added.

England Test captain Joe Root had earlier considered to throw his hat in the IPL 2022 mega auction but after suffering the defeat in Hobart, the 31-year-old reversed his decision to turn the fortunes of Test cricket in his country.

Also Read: IPL 2022: England Deserves All My Energy- Joe Root Ditches Entering IPL 2022 Mega Auction