Nasser Hussain feels Joe Root-led England did a commendable job in drawing the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney. Nasser Hussain lauded England for its defiant display despite enduring several hardships.
England successfully avoided a 4-0 result in Sydney on day five as James Anderson and Stuart Broad ensured a thrilling draw. Although the tourists had a minor wobble after looking comfortable at one stage, their experienced pair had other plans. They batted for 102 overs to save the Test.
Nasser Hussain: England’s Performance In The 4th Test Was Commendable As They Were Affected By Covid-19, Were 3-0 Down And Key Players Were Injured
Nasser Hussain stated England’s efforts deserved praise amid injuries and the coaching staff affected with COVID-19. The 53-year old feared another hammering when England was 36-4 in the first innings, hence a draw was a big step forward.
He wrote: “They have been through a lot and have been getting hammered because of their performances in this Ashes. So to have the strength to put on that performance at 3-0 down, without half their coaching staff and with injuries to key players, is commendable.”
“It did look like the whitewash was inevitable when England were 36 for four in their first innings, the true low point of this tour, and England had to dig very deep to pull that escape off. Yes, it’s only a draw and, yes, England were nine down at the close but it was very pleasing for all England fans to finally have something to be happy about.”
It was the seventh time in Test history that England’s tenth-wicket partnership saved them. It’s worth noting that Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow all played through the pain of injuries. Skipper Joe Root also declared Jos Buttler’s unavailability for the final Test. The visitors managed to save the fourth Test by a whisker with 1 wicket remaining, needing to chase a target of 388 on the final day in Sydney.
Joe Root-led England has performed terribly and has already lost the 5-match Ashes series by losing the first three games. England lost the first match by 9 wickets at the Gabba, the second game by 275 runs at Adelaide Oval, and the third game by an innings and 14 runs at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Nasser Hussain: The Highlight Was The Performance Of Zak Crawley On 5th Day
Nasser Hussain shed light on opener Zak Crawley’s 77, observing that his timing and shot selection was flawless. He felt the youngster showed the blueprint to batting in Australia.
“For me the highlight on Sunday was the performance of Zak Crawley. Crawley was putting away anything loose with grace, style and timing in his 77 and that fluency was great to see after all England’s, and his own, problems at the top of the order. And it showed you cannot have a top three that are purely looking to survive. You have to counter-punch, look to be aggressive and attack these Aussies.”
High-quality half-centuries from Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes and a brave 105-ball 41 from Jonny Bairstow had earlier put England in a position to save the Test. The fifth and final Ashes Test starts on January 14 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
Zak Crawley smashed a brilliant 77 runs off 100 balls including 13 boundaries. Zak Crawley made a promising start to his career with a stellar 267 against Pakistan at Southampton. Although he averaged 52.73 amassing 580 runs in 7 Tests in 2020, his average dipped to a low in 2021, where he averaged a mere 10.81 managing only 173 runs in 8 Tests. He will want to silence his critics in 2022.
England 294 (Bairstow 113, Stokes 66, Boland 4-36) and 9 for 270 (Crawley 77, Stokes 60, Boland 3-30) drew with Australia 8 for 416 dec (Khawaja 137, Smith 67, Broad 5-101) and 6 for 265 declared (Khawaja 101*, Green 74, Leach 4-84)