The brickbats are out in full force for England after their 82-run defeat to Australia in Adelaide confirmed that their wait for an Ashes victory will continue beyond this year. The defeat meant that England have fallen 3-0 behind in the series. Australia have held the Ashes since the 2018, with England having failed to beat them in their last two home series and losing 4-0 and twice in 2017/18 and 2021/22. England great Geoffrey Boycott has now said that they have to take a call in changing the structure and dropping those who have consistently underperformed, naming Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope among the batters.
“Ollie Pope is a lost cause because he never learns,” wrote Boycott in The Telegraph. “I think he would give his wicket away if he were playing in a county second XI. He can’t help himself as he finds ways to get out that I couldn’t dream up. Somewhere in his head there is a self-destruct button.”
Pope has been on slippery ground since before the start of the series, being replaced as vice captain by Harry Brook. Thus far, Pope has scored a mere 125 runs in six innings in the series at an average of 20.83. Pope has played as many as 64 Tests in his career but only averages 34.55, scoring 3732 runs with nine centuries and 16 half-centuries. His record against Australia at home and away doesn’t make for pleasant reading – 282 runs in 16 innings at an average of a mere 17.62 with no centuries or half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Boycott, who has won the Ashes twice in Australia and was the highest run scorer for England in the first of those series wins in 1970/71, said that opener Crawley’s two half-centuries in this series should not be enough for England to persist with him after it. “Zak Crawley is a hit-and-miss batsman. Mainly miss and then he seduces us with a blistering innings. It should not be enough to keep his place. Improve technique and discipline or you’re out,” said Boycott.
