The loss at home against India dented egos, threatened positions of players: Former Australia coach John Buchanan

While Australia had a horrible start to 2021 by losing to India at home, they spectacularly ended their year as they not only won their maiden T20 World Cup, but also retain the Ashes.

However, former Australian coach John Buchanan feels that losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2021-22 acted as a reality check for the players. While speaking to The Telegraph, he said that the loss to a second-string Indian side at home threatened the position of several players. He also said that Australia’s coach Justin Langer had told him that they had prepared really well for the Ashes 2021-22.

“There’s little doubt that the loss to India at home hurt the team, dented egos and threatened positions of players and support staff. But turning a team around takes time, and it takes some painful lessons as well. Talking with Justin (Langer) after the T20 World Cup, he was almost more thrilled about the planning and preparation that went into the tournament than winning the tournament itself. He also felt that they were really well prepared for the Ashes, which is on show now,” said John Buchanan.

England have been woeful: John Buchanan

The former Queensland cricketer also gave his thoughts about England, who have struggled in the ongoing Ashes so far. He felt that were dependent on a few players, and have been poor in the longest format of the game for the last few years. Last but not the least, he felt that the English middle-order was “fragile”.

“England have been woeful, although a quick look at their results in the longest format over the past two-three years will reveal that they are not a good side. They rely heavily on Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. They have no opening combination with a fragile middle order, and so choose Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow rather than Ben Foakes who is the best wicketkeeper,” he said.

The Cummins-led side have shown no mercy on the Poms so far, and are leading the series by 3-0. It will be exciting to see if the hosts continue to dominate the visitors, or the Root-led side does manage to bounce back and salvage some pride.