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| April 11, 2007 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 22, 1428 |
England reject says top order must fire
LONDON, April 10: World Cup discard Mal Loye has told England's misfiring frontline batsmen that they need to hit form against Bangladesh on Wednesday or face the risk of elimination.
Loye, who played in England's successful one-day series in Australia in the run-up to the World Cup, believes problems at the top of the order have damaged the Caribbean campaign.
With England to face South Africa and the West Indies after Wednesday's game in Bridgetown, Loye says Michael Vaughan's team cannot continue to rely on Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell.
“They are going to fail,” Loye told Sky Sports News of the free-scoring Pietersen and Bell.
“One of them is going to fail in the next three games so of the rest, someone has to stick their hand up and score the runs as well.
“The changes have been made and they will stick with Andrew Strauss (who replaced Ed Joyce) for the rest of the tournament and they have just got to come good.”
Skipper Vaughan is having a miserable tournament making just 12 runs in his last four innings.
“Hopefully that will be the captain because there is nothing worse than a captain in the side who is struggling,” Loye added.
“At the moment he is putting a brave face on the whole thing but it will have an effect on him. I think he will come good. He is just out of form and when a batsman is out of form he cannot get his feet moving.
”They have got to win their last three games, it is as simple as that. The South Africa game is crucial but we have got to start on Wednesday against Bangladesh.”—AFP
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