Ashes 2021: England Will Lose 5-0, Absolutely Flabbergasted With The Team Picked, Says Former England Batter

Former England batter and now renowned commentator David Lloyd has predicted that England would lose the upcoming Ashes down under 5-0 in December.

New Delhi: Former England batter and now renowned commentator David Lloyd has predicted that England would lose the upcoming Ashes down under 5-0 as the visitors lack the depth and the skillset required in their team to win against Australia.

Lloyd reckons that England have picked a team of blockers, medium-pacers and short finger-spinners and the writing is pretty much on the wall on how things are going to end up in Australia this summer.

“I always used to chuckle when Glenn McGrath came out like clockwork with his Ashes prediction of 5-0. But this time I agree with him. To say that I was surprised when I saw the squad England had picked to go to Australia would be an understatement I was absolutely flabbergasted,” wrote Lloyd in his column for Daily Mail on Tuesday.

Talking about the team, Lloyd said, “They’ve picked a team of blockers, medium-pacers and short finger-spinners. You don’t exactly need to be a student of the game to know how that ends in Australia. Good luck, lads.”

Going on to elaborate on what England are going to miss in the upcoming Ashes, the former England batter reckons that the three of the first names in the squad according to him would have been Saqib Mahmood, Liam Livingstone and Matt Parkinson.

“For me, three of the first names in the squad would have been Saqib Mahmood, Liam Livingstone and Matt Parkinson. That’s not Lancashire bias it’s a reflection of the kind of cricketers you need to stand a chance of winning in Australia. Your bowling attack needs pace and, because the Kookaburra ball offers you so little, reverse swing. Mahmood has both, so what did England do? Left him out,” the 74-year-old added.

With no Ben Stokes, Llyod was hoping that the England selectors would opt for Livingstone.

“Livingstone burst on to the scene last summer and he’s tough as old boots. He wouldn’t have taken any of the nonsense the Australians will be serving up this winter. And with Ben Stokes missing, Livingstone is a ready-made replacement because he bowls a bit of this, a bit of that, and he’s a superb fielder,” reckons Lloyd who also used to bowl slow left-arm orthodox spin during his playing days.

Expressing regret on England not going with a leg-spinner, Lloyd feels that in Australian conditions, you are always better off playing a leggie than a left-arm spinner.

“As for Parkinson, I defer to the great Shane Warne on how to bowl spin on Australian pitches. You need a leggie not a left-arm spinner who just carries the drinks and an off-spinner who was dropped in India. If you’re going to succeed in Australia bowling finger-spin, you need to be tall so that you get overspin and bounce. Look at Nathan Lyon. Dom Bess is too short. Parkinson would have provided variety and wicket-taking deliveries. I’m utterly dismayed,” lamented Lloyd.