Alyssa Healy slams Harry Brook, England team after Australia crushed Ben Stokes' side at Gabba
Australia women's captain Alyssa Healy launched a scathing attack on Harry Brook, who made 98 runs in two Ashes Tests so far. She expects the England international to live up to his potential and not throw wicket as he did in the second Test at the Gabba.
England were full of confidence ahead of the Ashes, determined to break the curse for the first time in 10 years. However, in reality, they suffered back-to-back defeats in Perth and Brisbane and are once again on the verge of a humiliating series defeat in the Ashes. Captain Ben Stokes has taken the blame on himself, but that doesn’t help them in any manner.
Australia women’s captain Alyssa Healy, in the meantime, launched a scathing attack on the England team, particularly on Harry Brook, but his poor execution and not being able to deliver his potential. He slammed the player for losing his wicket unnecessarily and asked him to acknowledge his mistake and address them in the remainder of the five-match series.
“I actually think Ben Stokes shoulders too much of the accountability for everything. I have full praise for him. He stands there at the end of every Test match that they lose and says, 'I'll take accountability for this, this, [and] this. I did this wrong, I did that wrong.'," Healy said on the Willow Talk podcast.
“How about taking a little bit of load off your captain? 'Hi, my name's Harry Brook, I played a shocking shot twice in this Test match (Brisbane) and I put our team under the pump unnecessarily twice'. I've never heard him come out and say that. There's your captain standing there sticking up for him, saying, 'I did this wrong, I did that wrong.' For me, that screams trouble, and that's creating a bubble environment that he and Brendon [McCullum] are trying to empower their players to be good enough to be out there and compete,” she added.
England's short history in Australia
The third Ashes Test will begin on December 17 and will be played in Adelaide. It’s going to be a make-or-break game for the Three Lions as another defeat will seal the series in Australia’s favour. In the meantime, England haven’t won a single Test match in Australia since 2011, so for them to change it, the Ben Stokes-led side needs to give their all in the park, something that’s visibly lacking.