Graham Thorpe, England’s head batting coach, admitted that the euphoria of the World Cup triumph could have played a part in their disastrous batting performance on the opening day of the four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s, but refused to use it as an excuse.
England collapsed inside the first session, after electing to bat on a green deck, to fold for 85 in 23.4 overs. It was their shortest Test innings, in terms of balls faced, in a home Test, and also marked the first time they had been bowled out before lunch of the first day of a Test at Lord’s.
Thorpe said that the turnaround time was quick, after a grueling World Cup final that ought to have taken a toll, physically, mentally and emotionally, but hoped the performance could serve as a wake-up call and get them ready for next month’s Ashes series.
“Walking off having taken five wickets is as good a feeling as I’ve had in my career."@tjmurtagh etches his name on the Lord's honours board with a dream spell.https://t.co/09f38uwQND
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 25, 2019
“We can’t run away from today’s performance,” he said. “And we can’t make excuses. There are no real excuses for us being bowled out for 85 against Ireland. It’s been a bad day. I’m very surprised and disappointed.
“It [World Cup] was a tough tournament, no doubt about it. And I don’t think there’s any harm in admitting where some of our players are [mentally]. There aren’t too many sports where you win a World Cup and are playing again a week later. We have to accept that some players are in maybe a different headspace to others. That’s natural and totally understandable. I’m sure some of the lads would have liked to stay up on cloud nine for longer, but this is the nature of our sport and this is the nature of our schedule, so we have to accept it.
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“But we have to react to the fact we have an Ashes campaign coming up as well. Sometimes [performances such as this] can be a little jolt as well. In some respects, it will refocus minds. Hopefully, the bump in the road puts some of the players back in a better place and we will be ready for Australia next week.”
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Jason Roy was dismissed cheaply in his first Test outing[/caption]
England opted to rest some of their regulars, such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, for this game. A few others, like Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, on the other hand, came straight from the World Cup. But Thorpe defended their selection, saying they had all been asked if they wanted to be a part of the team for this Test.
“Those players were all asked if they wanted to play,” Thorpe said. “And if we’d turned up at Edgbaston next week and been rolled over for 100 – and I’m not saying that can’t happen – without having given anyone the opportunity, then in a way you’re handing an excuse to the players also. So there’s a balancing act, and I think everyone would understand that.
“Sometimes, you have to accept you have a bad day and you have to answer some questions. But you can’t bury your head in the sands. The schedule is what it is and we have to do our best to give the players the opportunities to put them in the best place to start an Ashes series. This will probably stand the guys in good stead in red-ball cricket.”
