2021 would be a year in the red ball which England will not want to look back on anytime soon as they lost 4 out of 5 series, 9 out of 15 games played. Aussies ran rampant against this vulnerable side.
England started their new year in Sydney looking to leave 2021 behind. With the series already lost, they looked for some consolation from the last two games, return home with better results than their last two visits to Australia to be more specific.
England were successful in breaking their losing streak there. And certain aspects of that performance should have made English fans hopeful about a new start.
For example, batters other than Joe Root stepping up, Bairstow with a fine century, Crawley with a fine 77 in the second innings and Stokes with half-centuries in both the innings.
Not only that. There was a sign of grit and resilience in their batting, especially in the 2nd innings.
They had to survive 102 overs with a target of 388 against an Aussie bowling side in fine form. They were on the edge as it took them all 11 players to survive. But they just did enough to do so.
Their opening partnership faced 19.2 overs. 4th wicket partnership between Root and Stokes stood for 25.1 overs, 5th wicket was for 16.3 overs between Stokes and Bairstow. Even Leach and Broad survived 8.4 overs for the 9th wicket. Thus England saved themselves from a whitewash.
These type of performances often proves to be a shift in the momentum. Everyone hoped it would be the same for England also.
It was also visible in England’s start at Hobart, which was the venue of the last Test. They picked all of Warner, Smith and Khawaja within only 12 runs. Australia did turn back after that. Still, England restricted them within 303 which could be hailed as a good bowling performance.
But then it was the same story all over again - England batters failing the efforts of their bowlers.
On a wicket fluttering day 2, England took 7 wickets of Australia. Then went on to lose all 10 of their wickets in the same day. England bowlers didn’t have time to catch their breath properly and they had to start bowling again on the same day.
Yet they took wickets of Warner, Khawaja and Labuschagne in that 1 hour of bowling.
England's bowlers kept being brilliant even though they had to bowl in each of the four days of the play. They bowled Australia out for 155 only giving their batters a very much chasable target of 270.
Their opening partnership of 68 could give them the belief to win this one. But once again England had their usual collapse in the batting line-up. The next 9 wickets fell in a span of 22.4 overs and 56 runs.
Their batting in the last innings seemed like they did not believe in them anymore and had already given up. They wanted to go home and change the format badly.
Their batting in the last innings at Hobart was everything opposite of their last innings at Sydney. It was not only a blow to their result but also a blow to their belief. It showed a face of a team with broken morale. A team which do not believe in themselves anymore.
It would be interesting to see how England bounce back from here if they do.
ahnaf.sabit10@gmailcom
