After their meek surrender in the first Ashes Test, a stunned England woke up on Sunday to harsh criticism. Former greats called them “brainless” and “damaged” after their reckless strategy backfired.
Travis Head’s incredible 69-ball century and England’s batting failures caused Ben Stokes’s team to lose the first match in Perth by eight wickets in two days.
England have now lost 14 Test matches, drawn two, and won none in Australia since they last won an Ashes series there 15 years ago.
Before the day-night second Test in Brisbane on December 4, England had the ideal chance to end the terrible run and gain a psychological edge.
But the tourists were bowled out for 172 on day one after losing five wickets for 12 runs after reaching 160-5. However, they recovered the lead after dismissing Australia for 132.
After reaching 65-1 in their second innings, they were headed for a sizable advantage. However, they once more lost five wickets in short succession, leaving Australia to chase 205, which they easily attained.
Ahead of the Perth Test, Stokes had dismissed the former players criticising England’s low-key build-up as “has-beens” — a remark that ultimately came back to haunt him.
“Well, from this has-been the message is simple: when you keep throwing away Test matches by doing the same stupid things, it is impossible to take you seriously,” batting great Geoffrey Boycott said in a newspaper column.
“They never learn, because they never listen to anyone outside their own bubble, because they truly believe their own publicity.
“Now it has bitten them in an Ashes Test, the biggest challenge of all, and unless they mount a spectacular comeback, they will regret it for a very long time.
“It is simple. Brainless batting and bowling lost England the match.”
Former captain Michael Vaughan didn’t hold back either, warning that the manner of the defeat could leave lasting mental scars.
“This is going to hurt England, it’s going to damage them I think,” he told broadcasters.
“They have the tools to be really competitive, but you can’t be competitive without brains.”
Stokes acknowledged that the team was “shell-shocked” and that it would be difficult for him and coach Brendon McCullum to inspire their players.
“When we get to Brisbane we need to be back up to that mindset of how we came into this game, still very confident of our abilities and achieving the goal,” he said.
“It’s crucial not be taking any baggage from this result into Brisbane.”
Another former England captain is not yet prepared to give up, even though they face a daunting assignment in Brisbane, where England has only won twice since World War II.
“They need to remember they played a lot of good cricket in this game, and remember that when you get ahead be ruthless and smart,” Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
“It is a mountain to climb for England but they have a lot of character and a captain with a lot of character. They are going to need that.”
