David Lloyd, the former England batsman and coach, has hit out at Australia and has asked them to concentrate on themselves ahead of the much-awaited series solely.
With the build-up to the Ashes far from being ideal for England mainly due to the Ben Stokes controversy, the Australians have tried to get under the skin of Joe Root & Co.
Several players of the Australian team have tried to unsettle the visitors by making some unpleasant remarks. While Aussie vice-captain David Warner compared the Ashes with ‘war and hatred’, fast bowler Pat Cummins has warned England to expect a barrage of bouncers. On the other hand, pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has urged the home fans to ‘get stuck into’ Ben Stokes. The former players have also joined the party, as they have called the current England team the ‘worst’ to ever arrive in Australia.
And with the Australians trying their best to rile the English players, Lloyd has slammed them and feels ‘England are shaping up okay’ for the five-Test series.
“I think England are shaping up okay,” Lloyd told Sky Sports. “The thing I’d say is we’ve heard it all before from Australia… it’s like a long record: ‘You’re the worst team that’s ever come’ blah, blah, blah.”
“Look in the mirror! Get your own house in order. It will be a fabulous series as it always is,” he added.
When asked whether the hostility from the Australian public can be a deciding factor in the series, Lloyd said:
“No, it’s not difficult. You’ve got to embrace it. They [the Australian fans] love it if you give it back to them. They like it if you stand up to them.”
Llyod also said the Ben Stokes’ absence is a massive loss for England and urged Craig Overton, who is seen as Stokes’ replacement, to rise to the occasion.
“It’s a massive loss [Stokes not being in Australia] but I always look at it the other way, it’s an opportunity for somebody else and puts Overton, who might have thought he was going out to carry the drinks, in a good place,” Lloyd said.
“This is a great opportunity for him. I should think England, particularly in the first game, will want a long batting line-up which puts Overton in the frame,” he added.
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