London, July 14 (Inditop.com) Former England captain Nasser Hussain has slammed the home team’s time-wasting tactics during the first Ashes Test against Australia, calling it “amateur and embarrassing to watch”.
England were on the brink of defeat on the final day of the first Test but the last-wicket duo of James Anderson and Monty Panesar held out for the final 40 minutes to salvage an unlikely draw.
However, twice during the 10th wicket pair’s 69-ball stand, England’s 12th man ran onto the field to offer Anderson batting gloves while a physio was eventually ordered off by the umpires after making it to the middle on the second occasion.
Hussain said he supported subtle attempts in order to win, but called England team’s tactics ridiculous and bad for the sport.
“It wasn’t a street-wise move at all, it was village green stuff. It was amateur and embarrassing to watch,” Hussain wrote in his column in Daily Mail.
“And it was bad for the game – more like diving to win a penalty than delaying a throw in,” he continued.
Hussain, who was the captain between 1999 and 2003, said the England team needed to smarten up and not use tactics “that makes them or their sport look silly”.
“Watching the 12th man run on with gloves, followed by a physio who wasn’t needed because no one was injured, looked terrible and it didn’t even waste much time,” he said.
“It didn’t spoil a classic Test match but it did lead to a slightly farcical finish, which was a shame.
“If I were Ponting, I would have been angry too, and would have told the physio to get off. In those situations England have got to be smarter.”
The second Test starts at Lord’s Thursday.
rounak