Geoffrey Boycott Archives

England urged to ‘use their brains’ ahead of second Ashes Test

Legendary cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has called on England players to ‘use their brains’ as Ben Stokes’ side aims for a win in the second pink-ball Ashes Test.

Former opener Boycott spoke about England’s attacking ‘go big or go home’ approach, noting that while it has often paid off, it has also led to failures.

“But it doesn’t help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button,” Boycott wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.

He emphasized that the players should take more responsibility, noting that they should play positively but according to the situation.

“Nobody is asking the players to stop being positive because they have given us some marvellous, thrilling, and entertaining cricket. All we ask is for them to use their brains and realise there are times when they should throttle back and be aware of situations and bat accordingly,” he said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Geoffrey Boycott also addressed the England captain’s remarks regarding past players.

The remarks from the former opener came after Stokes called the retired players ‘has-beens’ for criticising his side’s approach.

“To call past players ‘has-beens’ was disrespectful, especially as some of those ‘has-beens’ played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia,” said Boycott.

“I am glad Ben has half apologised, saying it was a slip of the tongue, because none of this team have won the Ashes in Australia. Get the job done, because then you don’t need to say anything and you can bask in all the glory coming your way,” the 85-year-old concluded.

The second day-night Ashes Test will commence on Thursday, with England eyeing their first victory against Australia down under since 2010.

The three-lions are 1-0 down in the five-match series after a thumping eight-wicket loss to Australia inside two days in Perth.

READ: Moeen Ali also set to feature in PSL 2026 after Faf du Plessis

Kevin Pietersen defends Ben Stokes amid controversy over fourth Test draw

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has thrown his weight behind Ben Stokes following the handshake controversy during the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.

The Three Lions captain, Stokes, has been under fire regarding his behavior during the final few moments of the Manchester Test.

With India’s batters, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, nearing their centuries on Sunday, England offered India the option to shake hands and accept the draw; however, the visitors chose to stay on the field until both batters completed their tons.

As a result, England utilized their part-time bowlers and allowed Harry Brook to bowl until the final moments against the Indian batters.

Now, Kevin Pietersen has come out in the defence of England’s captain and defended England’s frustration.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Two days fielding and no result on the cards – you WANT to get off the field!” he wrote on X.

“You cannot have a pop at Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him when you’re sitting in your lounge watching. You’re NOT in the battle. Leave the men in the ring to be emotional,” Kevin Pitersen added.

Ben Stokes has been heavily criticized for shaking hands despite Indian batters playing in their nineties.

Earlier, England legend Geoffrey Boycott also criticized England’s approach during the final hour of the Test match.

“What goes around comes around. England were gobby enough when it suited them, so you can’t blame India for wanting to stay on and allow two batsmen who had worked their socks off to reach their hundreds,” Boycott wrote in a British outlet.

“Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar deserved their hundreds. They left the ball well, played with the full face of the bat, and defended their wickets at all costs. Well done.”

He highlighted the Indian batters’ resilience and said that he would have done the same as Jadeja and Sundar did.

“These India players are tough cookies. They do not take a backward step. There is no way I would have let anyone drag me off on 89 after I had worked hard all day to save the game for my team,” Geoffrey Boycott wrote.

It is worth noting that India managed to salvage a draw despite England’s substantial lead. Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar starred with tons and managed to keep the series alive.

READ: Usama Mir set to join Worcestershire on three-year deal

Former legend questions England’s attacking approach after Pakistan loss

Legendary England batter Geoffrey Boycott has raised concerns over the Ben Stokes-led team’s attacking approach, blaming it for the recent loss against Pakistan in the second Test of the ongoing three-match series.

The English team failed to counter Pakistan’s spin attack in Multan as Sajid Khan and Noman Ali shared 20 wickets to steer the hosts to a 152-run victory.

Boycott wrote an article in the British newspaper The Telegraph, raising concerns over the batting approach of English batters on the spin-friendly pitches.

“If our guys are honest with themselves as a team they should be asking why on big spinning pitches do they have these big collapses?” Boycott asked. “One guy will get a big score like Ben Duckett in the first innings but as a unit, the top order tends to crumble.”

The former captain slammed England’s aggressive batting approach for their failure against good quality spin bowling.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Boycott acknowledged that this approach works well on flat pitches but the batters need to find a way to dominate on spin-friendly tracks.

“I think they have these failures because the players have only one way of batting which is attack, attack, attack to get on top of the opposition bowlers and bully them into submission,” he added.

“That has worked a lot of times on flat or pretty good batting pitches and that attitude and skill has transformed English cricket.”

“Most of the time it has been exciting and winning cricket which is brilliant to watch, so none of us wants to complain or get angry when they lose.

“But we must hope that in defeat they look at how to improve because if they don’t then other countries will prepare more and more spinning pitches when they play England.”

READ: Babar Azam’s father addresses fans amid his son’s recent struggles