All posts tagged: ian botham

‘Over prepared my a**e,’ ‘I’d ask ECB for a refund’: England legends roast Stokes, McCullum after Ashes 2025 Gabba defeat | Cricket News

‘Over prepared my a**e,’ ‘I’d ask ECB for a refund’: England legends roast Stokes, McCullum after Ashes 2025 Gabba defeat | Cricket News

Published by Webster

England legends Darren Gough and Ian Botham did not hold back after the team’s dismal eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the second Ashes Test at Gabba on Sunday, post which the head coach Brendon McCullum reckoned his side “overprepared” in the lead-up to the clash. After putting on 334 on board despite Mitchell Starc’s devastating six-fer in the Pink Ball fixture in their first essay, England’s sloppy bowling effort meant Australia hammered a whopping 511 runs, going in excess of four runs per over. Led by Michael Neser’s five-wicket haul in the second essay, Stokes’ men stumbled to 241 all out, with only the skipper offering some resistance with his half-century. Reflecting on the defeat in a chat with commentators Ricky Ponting and Stuart Broad, McCullum said the team had trained too much after losing the series opener. “We will have a beer tonight. I think leading into this Test match I actually felt like we overprepared to be honest. We had five intense training days and sometimes when you are in the heat of …

Ian Botham on Bazball: ‘I’ll throw something at the television’

Ian Botham on Bazball: ‘I’ll throw something at the television’

Published by Webster

Former England cricketer Ian Botham has questioned Ben Stokes and England’s way of playing cricket and has said that while their performance at Perth was ‘horrendous’, if they played the same style of cricket, they might as well go home. England have come into this Ashes series better prepared than ever before, thanks to a healthy contingent of pace options that had Australia rattled in the first innings at the Optus Stadium. “It (Perth) was horrendous, there’s no other word for it. England needs to fire up and fire up quickly. I’m fed up of hearing, ‘this is the way we play’. If I hear it once more, I think I’ll throw something at the television. If that’s the way you play, you might as well go home now because it’s going to be 5-0,” Botham, 70, said to the PA News Agency. “They probably won’t like me saying that, but they need to get their heads around it. I want more pride when I see people pulling that sweater on.” In Perth, it seemed …

Ashes 2025: England captain Ben Stokes defends their preparation for crunch series vs Australia | Cricket News

Ashes 2025: England captain Ben Stokes defends their preparation for crunch series vs Australia | Cricket News

Published by Webster

There has been plenty of criticism about the England team’s preparation for the upcoming Ashes series ,especially from former England legends like Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott besides Australia’s Ian Healy. A cursory look at England’s red-ball games in the lead up to the Ashes, which will start with the first Ashes Test in Perth from November 21, shows that England’s only preparation game in Australia for this series is a three-day match against the England Lions (the England A team), starting on Thursday at Lilac Hill. The much-vaunted Ashes series is critical for the England team, they are trying to break a record of going 14 years without victory in Australia. The last series win for England on Australian soil was in 2010-11. Since then, England have slumped to 5-0, 4-0, and 4-0 series defeats Down Under in Ashes series. More importantly, there are no players from that England team in the present England side. The Associated Press also noted that some of England’s biggest names in the current side like Ben Stokes and …

‘There are 24 million people down here, not 11’: Ian Botham slams England’s Ashes 2025 preparations | Cricket News

‘There are 24 million people down here, not 11’: Ian Botham slams England’s Ashes 2025 preparations | Cricket News

Published by Parlour News

England’s subdued preparations in the lead-up to the Ashes 2025 opener have raised concerns, with legendary all-rounder Ian Botham slamming the Bazballers for their lack of intensity 10 days out from the series opener. Gearing up for the first ball at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting November 21, England have opted against a preparatory First-Class game Down Under after their mixed white-ball tour to New Zealand, where they were clean-swept in the ODI leg. England did not have its full squad in Perth until last Sunday and will play one internal match before the series-opener starts in the Western Australian capital on November 21. Story continues below this ad All but one of Australia’s Ashes squad, meanwhile, are warming up with the red ball in domestic Sheffield Shield matches around the country. ‘Not the way I’d prepare’ “It’s not the way I would prepare,” Botham told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday. “I think historically you have to acclimatise when you come down here. You’ve got to remember there are 24 million people down here, …

England legend Ian Botham rescued from fall in crocodile, shark-infested river by former Aussie rival Merv Hughes | Cricket News

England legend Ian Botham rescued from fall in crocodile, shark-infested river by former Aussie rival Merv Hughes | Cricket News

Published by Webster

England cricket legend Ian Botham was recently rescued from a fall into the crocodile-infested Moyle River by his former Ashes rival Merv Hughes. According to reports, Botham was on a four-day fishing trip with Aussie Merv Hughes in Australia’s Northern Territory. Botham tumbled into the river after his flip-flops were tangled on a rope while attempting to board a boat. Botham’s long-time on-field rival Hughes reacted in a snap to help him escape from the waters. Botham sustained a heavy bruising to the side of his torso. “I was out of the water quicker than I went in it. Quite a few sets of eyes were having a peep at me,” Botham said. “Luckily I had no time to think about what was in the water.” Reports have also claimed that bull sharks were swimming in the waters in the proximity of Botham and Hughes’ boat. Botham escaped from the waters with a bruising on his torso. (Instagram) “The guys were brilliant, it was just one of those accidents,” Botham said. “It was all very …

‘People Want To See Bazball’: England Great Credits Ben Stokes And Co For Revival Of Tests

Published by Webster

Team England in action© AFP Legendary all-rounder Ian Botham feels that England’s ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach under Ben Stokes has infused new life into Test cricket. Since Brendon McCullum and Stokes became head coach and captain respectively, England have redefined the way the traditional format is played. “You just have to look at the crowds. The crowds are now starting to come back to Test cricket,” Botham told ‘SENQ 693’. “Playing against India 20-30 years ago in India, the grounds were heaving. Suddenly, the IPL came along and so did one-day cricket and the crowds then plummeted. People are now coming back and wanting to see (Bazball).” The former captain said England have won more Test matches than losing them after the introduction of ‘Bazball’. “You are entertainers at the end of the day and if you want people to come to the games, you have to entertain. They don’t want to see someone score 1.2 runs per hour, you want to see guys just boss the game. “You are going to lose one …