Under-fire England openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed person been caught successful a bizarre signifier drill which has been described by a erstwhile England batter arsenic "bollocks."
Cricbuzz writer Bharat Sundaresan posted the footage to Twitter of Burns and Hameed batting successful the nets connected 1 leg, seemingly successful an effort to amended their balance.
The brace were receiving throw-downs from England adjunct manager Ant Botha, arsenic they effort to find immoderate signifier up of the Boxing Day Test.
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But the drill didn't impressment erstwhile England opener Graeme Fowler, who played 21 Tests betwixt 1982-1985.
"It's bollocks," helium wrote connected Twitter.
"The occupation our batsmen person is that they DON'T determination their feet. This drill is teaching them to basal connected the aforesaid spot!
"I would person refused. You walk years honing a coagulated technique, past immoderate clown tells (you) to hop. I'd archer him to hop it!!"
Asked if it was simply a antithetic mode to marque signifier amusive connected a agelong tour, Fowler wasn't buying it.
"Plenty of ways (of) making genuine signifier fun," helium fumed.
"This was anti-productive way. Any decent manager would ne'er person considered it."
It's been a disastrous bid truthful acold for some Burns (51 runs astatine 12.75) and Hameed (58 astatine 14.50), capping disconnected what's been a dire twelvemonth for England opening batters.
They've recorded 13 ducks successful Test cricket successful 2021, with Burns contributing six of them, a grounds for an opener successful a calendar year.
England's opening partnerships this bid person been 0, 23, 7 and 4, portion of the 27 opening partnerships successful Tests successful 2021, 13 times England has mislaid a wicket with the people connected 5 oregon less.
Speculation is mounting that Zak Crawley volition unfastened the batting astatine the MCG, though it's not known who he'd replace, fixed some Hameed and Burns person failed to impressment truthful far.
England trails 2-0 heading into the 3rd Test, and indispensable triumph each 3 remaining matches to regain the Ashes.
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