England suffered yet another Ashes defeat as Australia won the fifth and the final Test by 146 runs to clinch the five-match series 4-0.
The Joe Root-led side continued their shoddy performance and got bundled out for just 124 runs on the third day of the final Test, despite a 68-run opening stand.
This miserable batting display, worst since 1890 in the Ashes, attracted criticism from all quarters.
Former England great, David Gower, however, blamed the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his side’s dismal performance in the Test format.
While discussing the things that led to such a humiliating defeat on BT Sport, the 64-year-old argued that England players are more interested in playing in the IPL than their own country and that has made life difficult for captain Joe Root.
“Joe Root finds himself with people unavailable, because where are they? The IPL. What good is that for English Test cricket?! This is the oldest, more important form of the game, we need to defend it,” Gower said after the fifth Test match.
"Joe Root finds himself with people unavailable, because where are they? The IPL. What good is that for English Test cricket?!
This is the oldest, more important form of the game, we need to defend it."
Four minutes of David Gower in full flow. Well said, Sir 👏 pic.twitter.com/6eQnYAqra0
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) January 16, 2022
The main reason behind England’s humiliating defeat was the failure of their batting lineup. No batter, barring Jonny Bairstow, could score a hundred in five Test matches. The top-order, in particular, failed to make an impact.
Burns scored 77 runs in 3 Tests at an average of 12.75. Haseeb Hameed scored 80 runs in 4 Tests at an average of just 10, while Pope managed only 67 runs in 3 Tests at an average of 11.16. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler also proved to be a flop in the Ashes, though he fought hard to save the second Test at Adelaide on the last day.
What rubbish. Bairstow, Stokes and Butler from the current team played IPL. In fact Barstow is the only one who scored century.