Sir Alastair Cook has dissected the English team’s dismal performance in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane

Sir Alastair Cook, a former England captain, has analyzed the English team’s poor performance in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane. In the wake of a nine-wicket loss, Sir Alastair Cook blamed their poor performances on a lack of game time.

In the five-match series, Australia outplayed England in every aspect, giving them a 1-0 lead. The tourists’ 147 in the first innings set the tone for Australia’s overwhelming victory. In the frst innings, the hosts built a 278-run lead and in the final innings. They only needed to chase down 20 runs to win the match.

Sir Alastair Cook said in his column for The Times that England had never played red-ball cricket before this series. Cook also lauded Jack Leach and Ben Stokes’ bowling performances.

Ben Stokes

“It’s a similar story for the bowlers. Neither Jack Leach nor Ben Stokes did much, if any, proper bowling in the English summer,.Never mind in the period since, so we shouldn’t be surprised by their struggles with the ball.” he said

Stokes and Leach, a left-arm spinner, were arguably the most expensive bowlers in the match. The pair combined for 167 runs in 25 overs, with Leach taking the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. As a result, the left-arm spinner’s place in the Adelaide Test is unlikely to be retained.

Cook, who played a key role in England’s Ashes victory in 2010-11 in Australia. Emphasized the importance of the three warm-up matches.

“This is critical stuff, especially when I think back to 2010-11. Yes, I had one of the most productive series of my life but in the first tour match. I had scores of 5 and 9. I needed those first few innings to get the nerves and anxiety out of the way and my eye back in. When no one in the England team has had that kind of preparation. You end up getting bowled out for 147.” he said

In the 2010-11 Ashes series, which the tourists won 3-1, Cook made an incredible 766 runs. Only one practice match has been played by the current England team, which was cut short due to heavy rain.

Read more: Rohit Sharma says “1 ball 6 required and guess what”

Visit also: Sanjay Bangar says “He deserves that chance to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer” in the Test series against South Africa

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