NEW DELHI: Legendary batter
Geoffrey Boycott
didn't mince his words as he criticized
England
's bowling resources in the wake of their comprehensive 1-4 series defeat against India in the five-match Test series.
"It wouldn’t frighten anyone," Boycott wrote in his column for the Telegraph, expressing his disappointment with the potency of England's bowling attack.
He highlighted the presence of inexperienced bowlers like
Tom Hartley
and
Shoaib Bashir
, who made their international debut during the Indian tour, alongside the perceived ineffectiveness of established players such as
Mark Wood
and
Ben Stokes
, who faced fitness concerns.
The top five wicket-takers list was dominated by Indian bowlers, with Hartley emerging as England's highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps in 5 matches, further highlighting the challenges faced by the English bowlers.
Boycott also pointed out England's fortunate circumstances, noting the absence of key Indian players like
Virat Kohli
and
KL Rahul
for significant portions of the series.
Despite this advantage, England failed to capitalize, with Boycott stating, "Inexperienced kids were never going to outbowl experienced Indian spinners in India. If anyone thought that then it was daft, wishful thinking. England were lucky that Virat Kohli was unavailable for all the series and KL Rahul only played one Test."
The series defeat sees England plummet to the eighth position in the World Test Championship points table, having secured just three wins out of their ten Tests, emphasizing the urgent need for a reassessment of their bowling resources as they prepare for future challenges in Test cricket.
(With agencies inputs)
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