'Can't believe I'm hearing this': Mark Waugh blasts Alastair Cook for 'England aren't robots' defence as Bazball crushed
Mark Waugh was stunned at Alastair Cook's attempt at defending England's struggles in the Test series against India
Australian cricket legend Mark Waugh criticised Alastair Cook after the former England skipper came in defence of Ben Stokes' side, following a poor performance in the Dharamsala Test. Stating that England's struggling players are “not robots,” Cook implied that the side has been away from home for months, and it takes a toll. India defeated England by an innings and 64 runs on Day 3 of the Test, thus clinching a 4-1 series win.
Cook's remarks had come after a challenging day for the tourists in the field as India dominated proceedings in Dharamsala. Defending the performance of Brendon McCullum's team, Cook said, “We are sitting here away from the emotions of the game. We are sitting here at home watching the telly. I am not defending England, but they have been away for getting on eight weeks. It’s a tough tour; they’re not robots.”
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In response to Cook's defence, Mark Waugh expressed disbelief at the former English skipper's perspective. Replying to Cook's comments on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Waugh spared no words in expressing his disagreement with Cook's assessment.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from Alastair Cook. As a international cricketer this is what you train for and get paid for. This is a one of the best tours as a international cricketer you can go on,” said Waugh.
England's poor performance continued on Day 3 of the Test; after bowling India out for 477, the visitors faced a batting order collapse again, with the side being dismissed on merely 195; of these, 84 were scored by Joe Root alone, who was the last batter to be dismissed.
Following another loss, England have faced further setbacks to their chances to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. With only three wins in 10 matches, England are eighth in the table with only 17.5 percentage points. India, meanwhile, strengthened their position at the top of the table with 68.51 percentage points to their name. Rohit Sharma's men have won six of their nine matches in the ongoing WTC cycle so far.
