‘India’s opening pair find ways to score. Our top 3 seem to have no intention of scoring’: Lloyd slams England top-order
David Lloyd lavished praise on the Indian opening pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma for finding ways to survive the English attack. At the same time, he expressed his disappointment over the performance of Burns and Sibley.
England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley are going through a tough phase in their respective Test careers. The duo has been receiving criticism from cricket pundits and fans for their inconsistency against India in the ongoing Tests.
_1629290044480_1629290055224.jpg "David lloyd unhappy with England's top-order (HT Collage)")
Both Burns and Sibley were out on ducks during the chase of 272 on the final day of Lord’s Test. This was the fourth time in the ongoing series when the openers have failed to provide a good start to the hosts.
Renowned commentator David Lloyd has lashed out at both batsmen, calling their batting comical. Speaking to MailOnline, Lloyd lavished praise on the Indian opening pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma for finding ways to survive the English attack. At the same time, he expressed his disappointment over the performance of Burns and Sibley.
“Look at India’s opening pair. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stand correctly and even though they are facing England’s greatest ever bowler in Anderson, they find ways to defend and score. Our top three seem to have no intention of scoring — they are just on a massive blockathon!” said Lloyd.
“It’s a broken record with Root always trying to get them out of an almighty scrape. In 57 years, I have never seen an opening pair stand like Rory Burns and Dom Sibley do. Ever! It's comedy cricket and that is the biggest issue,” he added.
India defeated England by 151 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. The third Test will be played in Headingley, which begins on August 25. Meanwhile, the hosts are likely to announce their squad for the next match.
Question looms over the inclusion of pacer Mark Wood who suffered a shoulder injury on the fourth day of the Lord’s Test. At the same time, batsman Dawid Malan remains in the frame for a recall.