Dawid Malan says England should not “get into their shells” after falling 2-0 to the ashes, he wants the team to look to the white ball side for inspiration but also show the discipline Australia’s hitters have shown in the game. Serie; Third test begins at MCG on Boxing Day
Dawid Malan says that “hurting” England should not “get into their shells” as they seek to rekindle their decadent Ashes campaign.
The Tourists are 2-0 down with three games to play after two heavy losses to start the series: a nine-wicket beating in Brisbane and then a 275-run loss in the pink ball event in Adelaide.
Malan believes that England must now follow the example of their white ball team, which defeated Australia in the group stage of the recent T20 World Cup, “taking the game” to their opponents, but also showing the discipline they have shown. local hitters.
Malan, who has marked two half centuries in the series thus far, said: “The guys are suffering after our performances in the last two games. They realize we haven’t been good enough in all facets of the game.
“Talking to all the guys, they are all up for the challenge, they are all really looking forward to facing the Australians. We do it in white ball cricket, we face them and there are a lot of white ball players in this group as well.
“Hopefully we can have that mindset and not just go to our shells trying to survive, but really try to bring the game to them.”
“A lot of our layoffs were probably soft in the sense that we could have quit. You still have to score, but it’s about making the right decisions under pressure, myself included.
“If you look at the way Australia have hit, the guys that have done really well have fared very well, so it’s a good learning curve for us. Hopefully it’s not too late.”
“The guys still want to win the series. I know there is a long way to go, but we have to get it right and play our best cricket to get back in the series.”
Malan, Captain Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, who have yet to play in this series but are in contention to appear in the Boxing Day tryout at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, are the only batsmen from England on this trip who have played Ashes cricket. in Australia before.
Malan added: “We’re almost learning on the job in the test matches because a lot of the guys haven’t played in Australia – they’re up against bowlers they’ve never faced before and are getting used to the rebound here.
“We’ve talked a lot, but if we’re realistic, there are only three of us, and Jonny, who hasn’t been playing, we’ve played Ashes cricket here.
“With the preparation we’ve had, the guys haven’t gotten used to the conditions, you could say it’s an excuse, but it’s just a fact.
“The beauty of playing cricket in Australia is that it’s tough, it’s tough, it’s brutal and you have to do your best to win here. So far we haven’t been like that.
“Ultimately, we are the ones walking into the field. We get all the preparation and all the knowledge that we need and it is up to us to put it in its place. We have not done well enough.
“When we have those honest talks as players, we feel like we learn a lot more. Now it’s about stopping talking, it’s about putting it on the line.”
Bairstow is among the options being considered for a recall, with Ollie Pope under heavy pressure at number six after scoring just 48 runs averaging 12 in the first two tests.
Zak Crawley also looks very likely to lead the batting in place of Rory Burns or Haseeb Hameed.
Writing in The Times, Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said England’s hitters should be “braver” for the remainder of the series.
Watson also says he has been “stunned” by Stokes’ hitting, feeling that the 30-year-old, back in cricket after time out, rehabilitating a finger injury that prioritizes his mental health, has been too shy.
“If England are going to turn things around in this Ashes series, their hitters will have to be braver. So far, especially in the second Test in Adelaide, the intention just hasn’t been there,” Watson wrote.
“What has really impressed me is to see the defensive way Ben Stokes has hit.
“I’m stunned. Obviously it’s a tactic because of his big back and forth moves towards fast players, he’s just not trying to score.
