The Ashes 2023: Glenn McGrath says England have been too casual in series

What a week.

I person been reasoning astir it a lot, speechmaking each of the reaction, and it has had maine successful 2 minds.

Originally I would person liked to person seen Australia skipper Pat Cummins retreat his appeal, aft Alex Carey stumped Bairstow arsenic the Englishman wandered retired of his crease.

But the much I deliberation astir it the much I deliberation it was the close determination from Cummins. I deliberation it is simply a motion of thing deeper successful England's mentality.

What is telling is each azygous 1 of the erstwhile players I person spoken to, English oregon Australian, did not person a occupation with it. Even West Indies fable Brian Lara has said it was out.

Now, I americium a instrumentality of Bazball. The conception of backing yourself, playing without fearfulness and putting unit backmost connected the absorption - that I hold with wholeheartedly.

But Bairstow's dismissal epitomises what we person seen from England successful this series.

It has been Casual Ball - CazBall if you will, not Bazball.

If you spell backmost to time 1 of the Lord's Test, England were excessively casual.

After a rainfall delay, Australia's batters were champing astatine the spot to get retired there. The umpires were connected the field, but contempt conditions massively successful their favour, fractional the England players, skipper included, inactive had their feet up connected the balcony.

In the archetypal Test England declared connected time 1 - again, casual.

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Later successful that match, Ollie Robinson came retired and said Australia had 3 numbers 11s, 1 of whom was Nathan Lyon who would spell connected to triumph the crippled with the bat.

And I emotion the state England are playing with, but immoderate of the shots they person played you person to inquire the question.

Maybe determination is accountability wrong the dressing country but the sound coming retired is 'we springiness the batters freedom' and 'it's up to them'.

That is similar moving a race, finishing 27th and idiosyncratic giving you a medal. This is Test cricket. It is the Ashes!

I deliberation backmost to the 2005 bid and the squad I played against, featuring Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and others.

They were hard and ever acceptable for a battle, arsenic good arsenic playing good and with confidence.

If they had been fixed the opportunities this England squad person had, astatine Edgbaston and past astatine Lord's, fto maine archer you, they would not beryllium 2-0 down.

The Bairstow dismissal, the Yorkshireman walking retired of his crease similar helium owned the game, was the culmination of everything we person seen from this existent team.

I person work a batch astir the 'spirit of cricket' this week. Well, you person to respect Test cricket with your cognition arsenic well. You cannot conscionable spell wandering retired of your crease.

It took thing similar the Bairstow incidental for England to realise they are successful the conflict - and that is disappointing.

The mode Stuart Broad came retired to bat you could spot helium was up for the fight. A fewer days earlier helium had been stood with his limb astir David Warner.

When things deed the instrumentality England's players are abruptly fired up, but they are already 2-0 down. It's similar closing the gross aft the equine has bolted. Why did it instrumentality the Bairstow stumping to gee England, and the crowd, up?

If the English nationalist are going to person immoderate issues it should beryllium that.

I besides anticipation the furore does not overshadow Ben Stokes' unbelievable innings. The mode helium flicked the power and smashed 155, including 9 sixes, was incredible.

Stokes is going to beryllium remembered arsenic 1 of the greats of the crippled erstwhile helium retires, if helium is not already successful that bracket.

Of people the different arguable infinitesimal during the Lord's Test was the Mitchell Starc 'catch' of Ben Duckett precocious connected time four.

I made my feelings precise clear. I was frustrated and, though I judge the determination and the laws of the game, my sentiment has not truly changed.

The instrumentality says you person to beryllium successful afloat power of your question earlier grounding the ball, but I person ne'er seen a drawback cleanly taken that precocious supra the crushed beryllium ruled to person been dropped.

That instrumentality should beryllium for debased catches wherever you scoop the shot up adjacent to the crushed - oregon for diving catches erstwhile the shot is lone successful your fingertips.

Others volition disagree but, I'm sorry, the instrumentality should not beryllium determination for a concern similar Starc's.

All successful each we cognize the ambiance is going to beryllium aggravated this play astatine Headingley.

It is going to beryllium hostile and I anticipation it goes nary further, fixed what we witnessed in the Long Room astatine Lord's.

Headingley's Western Terrace and the Hollies Stand astatine Edgbaston get talked astir a batch but, I'll beryllium honest, erstwhile I was a subordinate we won astir each clip we came present truthful it was not excessively bad.

It wasn't until the last time successful 2005, erstwhile Kevin Pietersen had got his hundred, that the England assemblage gave america it hard.

I was present successful 2019 though, erstwhile Stokes played that astonishing sound to triumph the Ashes Test astir singlehandedly. The ambiance was unthinkable that day.

The Australians are going to bull it, determination is nary uncertainty astir that, with each of the speech being it is going to galvanise England, but don't regularisation retired it having the aforesaid interaction connected Australia.

They volition consciousness similar they are nether onslaught from each space and volition travel unneurotic arsenic a team.

Of people they are going to person to beryllium focused due to the fact that England are going to travel hard. I'm expecting immoderate existent Ashes cricket.

Before the bid I predicted each Test would beryllium adjacent with Australia winning them each and the bid ending 5-0.

So far, truthful good...

Glenn McGrath was speaking to BBC Sport's Matthew Henry

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