England’s “hollow” Ashes win in Melbourne showed how different the series could have been had they focused from the start, leading to feelings of “huge frustration”.
These are the views of Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton after England bounced back from heavy defeats in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide to win the two-day Test at the MCG, ending the hosts’ hopes of a 5-0 win.
The tourists’ lack of preparation before the first Test (they played one intra-squad match against the England Lions) was criticized before a ball was thrown in the series, and head coach Brendon McCullum said last week it was probably a mistake.
England also committed numerous batting collapses, with the root cause of many of their problems being their batting up close, as the Ashes slipped in just 11 days of cricket.
It was Australia’s first Test victory in 15 years and the first for captain Ben Stokes and his predecessor Joe Root in 12 years, a result to be savored in Melbourne but one that only added to the frustration of what had happened so far.
Atherton said: “I’m happy for Stokes, Root and the supporters, but this is a hollow victory considering what could have been.”
“It’s like England played cricket and then became more competitive, which is ridiculous.
England fans celebrate long-awaited Ashes win in Melbourne
“Australia are missing Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ryan for all or part of the series and their batting line-up is flawed. That’s a frustration for England. A big frustration.”
Hussain added: “If England play as well in Sydney (in the final Test) as they did late in Melbourne and Adelaide, that will frustrate me even more.”
“If they had prepared properly in Perth and done the basics, we could have won 2-2 against Sydney. If anything, it shows they weren’t focused before the ball was thrown.”
I was very happy about Stokes. It was a difficult build-up for him, not only because his team was losing 3-0, but also off the field, but I was very impressed with the way he handled it. He basically put his arm around the team and said, “I’ll support you no matter what.” Even if he lost the series, there was always something to play for, and his team showed they were committed to playing for him.
Michael Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket
Hussein: Bethel knows something about him.
England’s top scorer in the second innings as they achieved the target of 175 was young left-hander Jacob Bethel, who hit 40 off 46 balls in his second Ashes knock.
The Warwickshire man had been dismissed in the first place after replacing Ollie Pope, who left the team the day before.
Hussain praised Bethel, who scored in the 350 range in a Test for England in New Zealand last winter and then played little red-ball cricket during the summer at home.
Jacob Bethell helped seal England’s victory at the MCG
The former England captain told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast:
“If he can keep playing and keep batting, I think he’s onto something.”
Atherton added: “While credit goes to the selection committee for bringing him into the New Zealand squad a year ago, his treatment of him since has tarnished their credibility.
“You can’t leave a 21-year-old kid rested and expect him to go out in front of 90,000 people at the MCG and take care of business.”
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