London/July/20: Andrew Strauss' decision not to enforce follow-on against Australia in the ongoing Ashes Test baffled a number of former England captains who believe the move smacks of timidity.
After Australia folded for 215 in their first innings -- still 210 runs short of England's first innings total -- Strauss decided not to enforce follow on.
Mike Brearley, arguably the best captain England ever had, said it was a 'pusillanimous' decision by Strauss.
"Any fantasies of a quick and easy win for England were dispelled by a stubborn tail-end reaction from Australia, some puzzling tactics by England, and a not unexpected, but to my mind pusillanimous, failure to enforce the follow-on," Brearley wrote in The Guardian.
He felt Strauss was probably influenced by last year's Lord's Test where South Africa, following on, batted more than 11 hours to save the match.
"Despite these precedents, I disagree with Andrew Strauss's decision. He has at his disposal four front-line quick bowlers, plus a spinner. By the end of Australia's innings, Andrew Flintoff had bowled only 12 overs, Graham Onions 11, and Graeme Swann one, so most of his bowlers should have been fresh.
"It was a pleasant day, not too hot or debilitating. The pitch was likely to be at its quickest yesterday. Batting again meant that they were bound to use up time that they might need later as happened in Antigua last winter, when England failed to enforce the follow-on and West Indies' last pair survived," Brearley explained.
Former captain Ian Botham was furious and felt Strauss slackened the grip a bit by not enforcing follow-on.
"It was baffling. By not enforcing the follow on, Strauss opened the tiniest of windows for the Aussies to either save the Test or possibly win it," Botham told The Daily Mirror.
"And that's the last thing you want to do. I don't understand the decision. It's not like they have Shane Warne in their team anymore.
"You want to keep on top and keep the momentum. Instead, they went in to bat and the game drifted," he said.
Another former captain David Gower also did not find reason in it and wished Strauss was bold enough to enforce follow-on.
"There was one major decision for Andrew Strauss to make yesterday: whether or not to enforce the follow-on. Only time will tell now whether the choice to bat again is the correct one," Gower wrote in The Sunday Times.
Gower, however, felt England coaching director Andy Flower was also party to the decision and he advised both to be more "bullish".
"This winter past Strauss was undoubtedly overcautious in Antigua and arguably so in Trinidad soon after.The difference here is that time is more on his side as long as the weather does not play too big a part, with some showers threatened.
"If, however, at some stage in the next three matches of this Ashes series a situation arises where a declaration is in the offing with less time available, I would like to think that captain and team director can bring themselves to be more bullish in their approach and that they might be prepared to take more of a gamble with their calculations.
"It might, after all, be the difference between reclaiming the Ashes or not," he said.
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