Cook, Bell, Root should not be part of ODI team: Boycott

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Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Sep 01 2014 | 5:25 PM IST
Slamming the English cricket team for batting like "chumps" against world champions India, former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has said skipper Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Joe Root should not be a part of the one-day side.
"England have gone into this series with three orthodox batsmen in our top four in Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Joe Root. They are lovely technical batsmen for Test cricket but you should not have all three of them in your one-day team," Boycott wrote in his column in 'The Telegraph'.
The legendary batsman also said there was a dearth of spinners and a dearth of batsmen who can play the spinning ball in the England team.
"It is quite clear why England are struggling in one-day cricket at the moment: they cannot play the turning ball. We are playing the world champions, India, and we bat like chumps," Boycott said.
Even as England play slow bowling well on flat pitches when it does not spin, Boycott said the batsmen struggle when the ball is turning.
"It is a different ball game when the ball turns. Then they are creasebound and terrified to use their feet against the spinners. At Trent Bridge on Saturday, India had four spinners who bowled 30 overs and took six for 112 between them. It was not a raging turner, it just turned a little bit, and it was not the first time this had happened to England," Boycott said.
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First Published: Sep 01 2014 | 5:25 PM IST

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