England Great Asks For 'Refund' Seeing Team Get Humbled By Australia In 1st Two Tests
Australia maintained their dominance as they registered an emphatic eight-wicket win over England in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Sunday.
Australia continued their dominance with an emphatic eight-wicket win over England in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Sunday. Asked to chase a modest target of 65 on the penultimate day of the pink-ball contest, the hosts made light work of the task despite losing two wickets. After taking a first-innings lead of 177, Australia bowled out England for just 241 in the second innings, thanks to Michael Neser's maiden five-wicket haul. With this win, Australia have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Following the defeat, Ben Stokes and his team have faced severe criticism for their below-par performance. Former England batter Jonathan Agnew slammed the 'Bazball' approach, calling it "unsustainable."
"I think Bazball is unsustainable. It did its job in the first year-picked up some broken players, got them enjoying cricket again, winning games, and people loved watching it. It was good entertainment, but it's unsustainable. You can't play one-dimensional Test cricket, and now it's crunch time. I think Bazball is dead, and we're going to see something different next time," Agnew said on BBC's Ashes Debrief.
Meanwhile, former captain Ian Botham expressed his anger at England's reckless performance in the second Test. He stated that if he had watched the match in Brisbane, he would have asked for a "refund."
"I'd be asking the ECB for a refund because this team, for me, is not prepared. I don't think the bowlers are fit enough or strong enough," Botham said on Triple M Radio.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith sealed the win with a six, as Australia took a 2-0 lead in the series. With five wins in as many games, Australia maintained their top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
England, on the other hand, dropped one place to seventh after back-to-back defeats Down Under. They currently have a PCT of 30.95.
Australia Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Ben Stokes
Steve Smith