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Bayliss admits ‘stern’ chat with England Test players
LONDON, July 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Coach Trevor Bayliss admitted Sunday he
had a “stern chat” with England’s players after they rallied to avoid an
embarrassing Test defeat to Ireland.
England were bundled out for 85 in the first session of their inaugural
Test against Ireland at Lord’s but eventually won by 143 runs after
dismissing the visitors for just 38 in their second innings.
Nightwatchman Jack Leach was England’s top-scorer in the match with 92 and
although he was left out of the 14-man Ashes squad, Bayliss praised the left-
arm spinner’s approach.
“We had a fairly stern chat after the game,” Bayliss told BBC Radio.
“It’s good to be able to deliver those messages when you have actually won
a game,” he said.
“I thought the example Jack Leach showed was the example a lot of the
other batters need to learn from. He was very focused on what he wanted to do
and was very clear in his own mind how he was going to go about it.
“We speak about that a lot, having a plan for any situation you find
yourself in and being clear with your thoughts — don’t try and just bluff
your way through it.”
England begin their Ashes Test preparations with an optional training
session on Monday at Edgbaston, where the fitness of paceman Jofra Archer
will be assessed following the side strain he suffered during the victorious
World Cup campaign.
“We don’t want to necessarily risk him,” Bayliss said.
“He played for Sussex in a T20 match and came through that well. Test
match cricket, five days, longer spells, is a little bit of a different beast
so we’ll have to see where he’s at and take a little bit from the medical
people as well.
“We have to weigh up, do you pick him for the first one, it’s a bit early,
he gets injured and then is unavailable for selection?
“We’ve got a good strong group of bowlers who we think can do the job over
the five Tests.”
BSS/AFP/BZC/1840HRS