Edgbaston
England assistant coach Graham Thorpe has told his side’s struggling batsmen to prove they are desperate to keep their places after their flop against New Zealand.
England suffered a first home Test series defeat in seven years after collapsing against New Zealand at Edgbaston at the weekend.
Most of the top batsmen in Joe Root’s team were out of form once again and New Zealand took full advantage of their woes.
Root’s tally of 891 runs in eight Tests in 2021 puts him 562 ahead of Dan Lawrence, who is England’s second highest scorer over that period.
England’s Test batting averages for the year reveal the depth of the problem, with Lawrence (29.90), Ollie Pope (21.54), Dom Sibley (21.35) and Zak Crawley (10.25) all out of touch. Root suggested at the weekend that those players are still England’s best options and would benefit from a prolonged show of faith.
But Thorpe, who works under head coach Chris Silverwood, wants to see those underachievers fight for their spots as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler aim to return for the Test series against India in August.
“These players have to show a desperation to stay in the side, they’ve got to earn the right to stay in the side,” Thorpe said.
“They will be fully aware of that, because we’ve got some players who will come back into that team and there are others on the outside putting pressure on too.—AFP
