England’s Ashes 2025-26 marketing campaign has begun with embarrassment and large criticism in Australia. After shedding the primary Check to Australia in simply two days, England legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott unleashed a brutal assault on Ben Stokes and his staff.
The five-match Check sequence opener started wildly, as a large 19 wickets fell on the opening day on the Optus Stadium in Perth. Even with the pitch behaving sharply and the ball doing lots, England one way or the other managed to take a 40-run lead within the first innings, due to Harry Brook’s fifty.
England was humiliated in 2 days as Australia gained the Ashes opener
That benefit regarded large on a quick, bouncy floor the place each run felt essential. And even at one level of their second innings, England regarded in full management. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope had been batting confidently, and the staff was successfully 100/1 with the prospect to stretch the lead additional and put Australia below big strain within the first Ashes Check.
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However as has occurred so many occasions earlier than, England’s domination was shattered as poor selections, misjudged photographs, and an entire lack of self-discipline precipitated one other collapse. As an alternative of constructing a robust goal, they might solely set a 205-run goal for Australia to win the Perth Check.
Chasing the goal, Travis Head produced a surprising counterattack, smashing 123 runs from simply 83 balls. His aggressive method pushed England utterly out of the match. Marnus Labuschagne supported him with a surprising fifty, preserving Australia effectively on monitor all through the chase.
England’s bowlers had no solutions to Head’s assault, and the defending champions have cruised to an eight-wicket victory, taking a 1–0 lead within the five-match Check sequence.
Geoffrey Boycott tears into England’s angle after defeat in 1st Ashes Check
In his column for The Telegraph UK, titled “I can not take this silly England staff significantly anymore,” Sir Geoffrey Boycott has delivered a fierce and emotional evaluation of the England cricket staff’s angle and efficiency in current occasions.
The legendary England opener has accused the present facet of ignoring exterior recommendation, shutting themselves off from criticism, and dwelling in a world the place they consider too strongly in their very own hype. He slammed England’s ultra-aggressive method that precipitated their downfall in Exams.
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Sir Geoffrey Boycott writes in his ‘The Telegraph UK’ column: “Earlier than this sequence began, Ben Stokes instructed the world that any ex-player who criticised them or had a distinct opinion was a ‘has-been’ as a result of Check cricket had modified and the previous was irrelevant.”
“Effectively, from this, the message is easy: while you hold throwing away Check matches by doing the identical silly issues, it’s unattainable to take you significantly. They by no means study, as a result of they by no means take heed to anybody exterior their very own bubble, as a result of they really consider their very own publicity.”
Brainless batting and bowling misplaced England the Perth Check: Sir Geoffrey Boycott
He identified how England wasted a dominant place, particularly after having a helpful first-innings lead on a tough pitch. With momentum on their facet and batters settled, the staff nonetheless discovered a strategy to self-destruct, and the collapse was a crushing defeat.
The well-known commentator additional defined, “It’s easy. Brainless batting and bowling misplaced England the match. A 40-run lead on a quick, bouncy, low-scoring pitch was big, and with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope collectively at one stage, England was in cost at successfully 100 for one.”
Boycott signed off by saying, “However as thrilling as this England staff might be, they’re all the time solely a blink of an eye fixed away from self-destruction. Bazball, dangerous judgment, overconfidence, regardless of the cause, it makes profitable matches tough. Towards high groups like India and Australia, it’s a big think about shedding.”
