The Ashes: Australia nice Matthew Hayden on England’s Joe Root, Harry Brook and Zak Crawley as he fears nude stroll round Melbourne Cricket Floor

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden made a daring declaration forward of The Ashes, saying he would stroll across the Melbourne Cricket Floor nude if England’s Joe Root didn’t register a century on this winter’s Check collection.

So, how nervous is Hayden feeling after Root’s scores of nought and eight within the first Check at Perth, which the vacationers went on to lose inside two days after an epic capitulation.

“I am concerned for multiple reasons!” the Saggy Greens nice informed the Sky Sports activities Cricket Podcast as he joined Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton forward of the day-night second Check in Brisbane from Thursday (4am UK and Eire time).

“The last thing I want to do at 54 is spend the rest of my life in jail! On a serious note, though, I probably didn’t see a lot of convincing evidence from Root in Perth.”

Root, England’s all-time main run-scorer however nonetheless with no Check ton in Australia after 15 matches and 29 knocks, was out to Mitchell Starc twice within the collection opener, caught behind within the first innings earlier than chopping on driving on the up within the second.

Hayden added: “I do know Joe likes to personal that fifth and sixth stump channel and Australia will not must go wherever apart from that from what I noticed – these little dabs.

“The Gabba will be no different, especially under lights with the pink ball. It will be a big challenge for Root.”

‘England could be 1-0 up if they’d proven recreation consciousness’

England have been in such a dominant place at lunch on day two of the primary Check, reaching 59-1 and holding a lead of 99, solely to subside within the afternoon session to be rolled for 164.

At one stage, they misplaced three wickets for no runs in six balls with Ollie Pope, Harry Brook after which Root perishing on the drive, a no-no on a quick and bouncy Optus Stadium floor.

With Australia chasing 205 to win, Travis Head – promoted to open the batting after Usman Khawaja’s again points – smashed a 69-ball hundred in his 123 from 83 deliveries because the hosts romped residence in 28.2 overs, leaving England captain Ben Stokes “shellshocked”.

Hayden added: “When England have been successfully 100-1, a tiny little bit of match consciousness by way of a bit extra of a calculated threat and Australia are completed. You’re 1-0 up.

“Brook is such a good player. He looked head and shoulders above the other English batters with the amount of time he has, the class.

“Certainly he himself would need a extended batting efficiency? If he had a bit extra capability to soak up strain, I truthfully consider we might be a distinct consequence.”

On batting more generally, Hayden said: “I feel it is all the time value letting your eyes alter, really feel out the situations. It could be a 4 or five-over interval the place you shift gears.

“You don’t see a Ferrari plummeting around a corner at 350mph – they have to back off, go through gears. That’s batsmanship, and why it takes so long to learn this great game.”

What can Crawley study from beautiful Head innings?

Zak Crawley bagged a pair in Perth – the primary for an England opener since Atherton in South Africa in 1999 – along with his common dipping beneath 31 because of this.

So, what could be Hayden’s recommendation for the batter forward of the day-nighter in Brisbane?

“He needs to find his natural tempo. My method was to wear down a bowler at The Gabba – the moment I started to think about playing square of the wicket here, I would get out. I’d think cut and then second slip would have it in his hands.

“Zak is a pure striker of the ball however I do not suppose if I have been teaching him I’d be asking him to try this within the first 30 or 40 minutes.

“With Head the other day in Perth, we all remember his swashbuckling innings – but we won’t remember the work he did in the shadows in the lead-up to that great attacking spree. He had 20 balls at least where he just absorbed pressure.”

I consider somebody like Lord Botham. He was a generational participant that would shift the sport and that’s Head on this technology. He can shift gears, shift momentum. When he got here out in Perth, I used to be trying on the physique language of the England gamers and so they had fractured necks – they couldn’t consider he was opening.

Canine thrower in charge for defective batting methods?

Lastly, in an period of fast-finishing Check matches, Hayden defined why he thinks batting abilities could have eroded to some extent.

“Is the bare technique able to sustain periods of pressure on wickets that are harvesting a little bit of movement with the new ball? The answer is clearly no.

“My concept is that the wanger (the canine thrower) that throws the ball down at one million miles an hour will not be permitting the gamers sufficient time to maneuver their ft.

“What I see is guys making their initial balance step – it might be a little push across – but then they don’t move a second time.

“I feel there’s an excessive amount of reliance on [these devices] versus seeing the cues. Bowlers provide you with proof. You may have a look at a quick bowler and know it will be quick.

“Playing so much T20 cricket transfers over to the longest format as well.”

If Root’s method will not be spot on to any extent further, we could see a unadorned Matthew Hayden. That is fairly a psychological picture…

Ashes collection in Australia 2025-26

All occasions UK and Eire

• First Check (Perth – November 21-25): Australia beat England by eight wickets
• Second Check (day/night time): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Check: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (11.30pm) – Adelaide Oval
• Fourth Check: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Floor
• Fifth Check: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Floor