Former England cricketers furious after Razaullah’s assault on their bowlers: ‘What I saw was no plan’

Alastair Cook, Jonathan Agnew and Michael Vaughan took England captain Joe Root and the team management to task in a scathing assessment.

Former captain Alastair Cook was furious with the way England bowled on day three of the third and final Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Friday. Batting at No.9, debutant Razaullah hit a record-equalling nine sixes to help the visiting side set England a target of 130.

They really tore into the English team.

England bowlers, on the best batting surface of the series, struggled all through the day as Pakistan resumed from 117/2. Particularly to Razaullah, they bowled waywardly. He kept throwing his bat around, and England kept bowling all over the place, except for wickets-to-wickets deliveries. The 21-year-old faced 63 balls, and there were just six balls that would have hit the stumps. England captain Joe Root looked totally clueless and his bowlers often resorted to bowling short-pitched deliveries, which failed to get the desired results. Razaullah and Mohammad Abbas (42) added 121 runs for the ninth wicket to frustrate England not a little. The visiting side was eventually bowled out for 449. Understandably so, Cook wasn’t happy.

Deep Dive

What record did Razaullah achieve in the Test match against England?

Why were former England cricketers critical of the bowling strategy against Pakistan's tailenders?

How did Razaullah cope with the short-pitched deliveries from England's bowlers?

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"You can get done by the tail - it's very hard when people have the license and ability to hit sixes," Cook told the BBC Test Match Special. "What I saw was no plan; it got out of control. That's when you need the backroom staff and coaches to step up. I would have loved to have seen a message and some real leadership from the coaches," he added.

Former England pacer and renowned commentator Jonathan Agnew echoed Cook’s sentiments. "You cannot and should not bowl like that to tailenders as soon as they come in," he said. "You have to set the tone when you're bowling against tailenders. Yes, you bowl aggressively, but in a controlled way. They are numbers nine and 10 for a reason. It was bitterly disappointing. Dan Lawrence is a part-time off-spinner, and he took the second new ball. If you're looking for any aspect of the day that is utterly bonkers, that is it," he added.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was no different in his assessment. "We shouldn't be surprised by England; they've delivered tactically like this on a regular basis. I think they'll win this game, but they can't keep making mistakes like that. The basics of Test cricket generally work, and that's to hit the top of the stumps. It's a bit of a warning sign that this attack is very good, but they aren't the finished article just yet. Who are the characters in the team who are going to grab a hold of everyone and say, 'Right, I'm going to make a moment'. I didn't see it from anyone today," he said.