“All of a sudden there’s a ‘batsmen v bowlers’ divide” – Steve Harmison on Joe Root criticizing the England bowlers

Former England seamer Steve Harmison has come down hard on captain Joe Root for his criticism towards the bowlers following the pink-ball Test defeat. Harmison thinks Root’s comments about his seamers could create a massive conflict within the team.

Joe Root blamed his bowlers following a 275-run loss in Adelaide for bowling too short in the first innings. While England showed a marked improvement in the second innings, Australia had run away with the Test by then.

Speaking to TalkSport, Steve Harmison remarked that if Michael Vaughan had complained about the bowlers in his playing days, he would have confronted him. Stating that such verdicts can result in friction, Harmison said:

“The criticism of the bowlers from Joe’s point of view… I’d have been waiting for him at the top of the stairs if Vaughany had said that. If Vaughany had said that after what we had just done, I think me, Hoggard, Flintoff, Jones would have been standing at the top of the stairs.”

Harmison added:

“When comments are made like that, all of a sudden there’s a ‘batsmen v bowlers’ divide.”

England, who went with an all-seam attack in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, struggled in the first innings. The four-man pace unit conceded 473 as Jos Buttler issued two reprieves to Marnus Labuschagne, who scored a hundred.

“They created 10 chances in eight and a half days of Ashes cricket that haven’t been taken” – Steve Harmison

Harmison observed that England’s fielders hadn’t taken the chances created by the bowlers, forcing them to alter their lengths. The 43-year-old added:

“You’ve got size 12s, get something behind them. But to say that they bowled too short? They created 10 chances in eight and a half days of Ashes cricket that haven’t been taken. The bowlers go, ‘Well, the batsmen aren’t catching it, first and foremost, so we’re having to bring our lengths back because every time we pitch it up, we either get driven for four or we potentially create a chance that isn’t getting taken.”

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After a 2-0 drubbing in the series so far, England need a sensational turnaround in the third Test in Melbourne. The visitors haven’t held the Ashes urn since 2015.