Shane Warne, Steve Waugh name two England batsmen not meant for Test cricket

Former Australian greats Shane Warne and Mark Waugh have attacked England opener Dom Sibley's selection in the Test team, claiming the 25-year-old is unfit for the top flight. Waugh, while speaking to Fox Cricket, said Dom Sibley should not be included in the England Test squad for the upcoming Ashes series because "he can't score runs". Waugh highlighted Sibley's poor run in Test cricket to make his point, saying "I don't know how he got to that level". Warne also criticised the opening batsman and his partner Rory Burns for not putting enough pressure on opposition bowlers. 

Shane Warne said the duo can't score runs or put pressure on bowlers, adding "They can just see off the shine, which is not good enough for the middle-order batsmen". Warne said because of Sibley and Burns' pathetic performances in the last few Test matches, opposition bowlers were able to put early pressure on England players. Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan also slammed the batting line-up of the Joe Root-led side. Vaughan said the side needs to change its batting combination in order to win matches. Vaughan reckoned that it's going to be tough for England to beat India in the upcoming Test series if they continue with the same opening pair. 

'Very fragile team'

Vaughan suggested bringing in Dawid Malan at number three and move Jack Crawley to open the batting alongside Rory Burns. The 2005 Ashes winning-skipper said the side that went up against New Zealand before the World Test Championship final was "very fragile". England lost the two-match home Test series against the Kiwis 1-0. Sibley has played 20 Tests for England and has scored 985 runs at an average of 30.78 with two centuries and five half-centuries to his name. 

England is slated to play a five-match Test series against World Test Championship finalist India, starting August 4. The Joe Root-led side will then lock horns against Australia in another five-match series right after the conclusion of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. England is also scheduled to play a three-match Test series against West Indies, starting March 8. 

IMAGE: AP/MarkWaugh/Twitter