Former England captain Nasser Hussain slammed Jamie Smith for his dismissal on Day 2 of the Sydney Test, calling it one of the worst shots played by England during the ongoing Ashes series. According to Hussain, Smith’s wicket shifted the momentum at a time when England were heading towards a big total.
England started well with Joe Root (160) and Harry Brook (84) putting together a strong partnership of 169 runs. After Brook was dismissed, Smith added another valuable stand of 94 runs with Root. However, in the 74.4 over, Smith lost his wicket to a short ball from Marnus Labuschagne outside off stump. Smith hit the ball straight to deep cover, where Scott Boland took a simple catch to end his innings on 46.
Smith’s dismissal drew sharp criticism from Hussain, who was speaking on Sky Sports.
“Was it England’s worst dismissal of the series? It was right up there,” Hussain said.
Hussain further added, “It was a really poor shot, not just because of the execution and because Labuschagne was bowling, but the timing – and that is the problem with this England side. It was nine minutes until lunch and five overs until the new ball. Just survive and go again.” He also pointed out, “They have a lot of talent but don’t seem to lock on to the situation of the game.”
England were eventually bowled out for 384 runs. For Australia, Michael Neser was the pick of the bowlers with four crucial wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland picked up two wickets each.
At the end of the day’s play, Australia stood at 166/2, with Travis Head unbeaten on 91.
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