England head coach Chris Silverwood has come down heavily on England’s top-order after the first Test against India in Nottingham. He urged his top-three to start contributing with the bat and take the pressure off skipper Joe Root.
England got all out for 183 on the first day of Nottingham Test after winning the toss. Jasprit Bumrah (4/46) and Mohammed Shami (3/28) bowled beautifully to dismiss England cheaply. Root top-scored with a fifty in the first innings.
Also Read: Joe Root admits ODI series against Sri Lanka helped his form and confidence
The top-three of England comprising Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley failed to cross the 30-run mark in both innings which allowed India to make early inroads.
“Yeah, I think we do,” England coach Chris Silverwood said on Monday (August 9) when asked if there’s an over-reliance on Root.
“I mean Joe’s been phenomenal for the last six months really scoring runs for us. And what we need to do is make sure that the guys that are batting with him are coming to the party as well. So that’s one thing which we’re talking about in the dressing room constantly. And it’s something that I’ve spoken to the batting coaches as well,” he added.
“Encourage conversations between the players and the coaches to try and find a solution for this to try and help them get better. It’s not through lack of effort. It’s not a lack of hard work, it’s just a case of we have to try and find a formula that works. That’s a work in progress at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Haseeb Hameed is waiting to grab another opportunity after his promising debut against India in 2016 was cut short due to a broken finger.
Also Read: England’s dependency on Joe Root in Test cricket
“I’m confident he’s as ready as he could be. He put his best foot forward in Durham when he scored that hundred and what he did an early season in the championship shows there’s a lot of class there as well,” said Silverwood.
“I think he is making a very strong case and at some point, we may make a decision and give him an opportunity.”
The first Test resulted in a tame draw after the rain washed out the fifth day’s play. Now, both teams will travel to London where the second Test will be played at Lord’s from August 12 onwards.
