Talking about the same thing, former cricketer Mark Butcher said that he probably can’t concentrate when batting because of his workload as a bowler. Joe Root, the former captain of England, was predicted to perform admirably in the current five-match series because of his exceptional performance in Indian conditions. But after the first three Test matches, the 33-year-old averaged a pitiful 12.83, showing that he was having trouble with the bat this time around.
Remarkably, after bowling 107 overs in this series, Root is now playing as a full-time all-rounder. His bowling workload in the current series against India has been substantial, as evidenced by the fact that he has bowled the most overs in any series before this one—67 overs against Pakistan. Though Root is putting in just as much work as the front-line spinners, Butcher thinks it has hurt his batting performance.
According to Wisden, Butcher said, “Don’t be overly surprised if you’re not getting the output from him with the bat that you would like.” This is especially true if you’re expecting your finest batsman to be a true all-rounder and bowl as many overs as your frontline spinners.
In more seam-friendly conditions, Joe Root was the only spinner for England. People laughed at the idea at the time, saying it was absurd. He continued, saying he didn’t think having him put in so much effort as a frontline spin bowler would result in the kind of results you would expect from him at bat.
Mark Butcher evaluates the performance of the spinners for England
Although players like Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley, in the opinion of the former cricketer, have performed admirably in the current series, England has so far suffered because of their inexperience bowling during the first innings. The most seasoned spinner in the England camp, Jack Leach, was notably sidelined during the first Test due to a knee injury; yet, Butcher has been a major contributor to India’s batsmanship.
“I’m not clear what England can do about Leach’s injury, but it highlights the foolishness of attacking India with such a green spin attack in any case. Even though Rehan Ahmed and (Tom) Hartley have played exceptionally well, you need a little more support than players who are just starting out or part-time spin bowlers like Joe Root to hold the fort for you, especially considering the tosses that come down when you’re bowling first and third rather than second and fourth. That’s the main reason [India] was favored before it began, Butcher continued.
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