Published: Nov 08, 2013, 05:38 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 08, 2013, 05:38 PM (IST)
Graham Gooch said cricket is a game of rhythm, whether you bat or bowl, and certainly if you’re sitting in the dressing room you get that sort of malaise of just sitting around © Getty Images
Nov 8, 2013
England think-tank was left frustrated after the second and third day’s play at Hobart against Australia A were abandoned due to rain. To make the matters worse, the indoor nets at the stadium have been knocked down as part of redevelopment work at the Bellerive Oval.
”It is very frustrating,” England batting coach Graham Gooch told Sydney Morning Herald.
”You want to get the cobwebs out of the guys who’ve not played, get some time in the middle, the bowlers want to iron out any little flaws in their run-ups and get their rhythm,” he said.
He continued, ”Cricket is a game of rhythm, whether you bat or bowl, and certainly if you’re sitting in the dressing room you get that sort of malaise of just sitting around. Your enthusiasm goes a little bit. So they do need to be out there because time is short now; five playing days before the first Test left and that’s minimal.”
Gooch said heavy rain has also hit England’s selection issues. He added, ”An opportunity arose in that first game, when Alastair had the stiff back, a condition he’d suffered within the past, and Michael got a game and took his chance there.”
“We wanted to see a little bit more of him this game and he’s done his chances no harm with 150, and Joe’s batted in the middle order when he started. But getting the batting line-up exactly right comes from watching a few matches,” Gooch added.
