Matthew Hayden didn’t hold back in his critique of Jofra Archer after the England pacer was spotted carrying a pillow onto the field during Day 3 of the second Ashes Test at The Gabba on Saturday, December 6.
The former Australian opener described the sight as “shocking” and urged the England batters to exploit the lack of intensity. England trailed by 177 runs after the first innings, with Archer conceding 87 runs in 25 overs while taking just one wicket, opener Jake Weatherald.
“I’m sorry, but that’s a shocking look. If I were a batsman, I’d be digging in. Forever. Exactly what you need as a batsman, you’d be looking over and thinking, ‘you are never going to sleep on that,’” Hayden told Channel 7. “Not any part of this day are you going to see that. Not even in the night are you going to see that.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the team’s lacklustre attitude, calling them “jaded” on the field. “I would have done things completely differently. What I saw today was a team that looked jaded. Fielding drills are fantastic, but in a game, you have no clue when the ball is coming to you. The art of taking chances is concentration… the only way you get good at that is training your brain to do it,” Vaughan said.
England ended Day 3 at 134/6, needing another 43 runs to make Australia bat again. Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, and Scott Boland shared the spoils with two wickets apiece, keeping Australia firmly in control.
