Former England captain Nasser Hussain has spoken out about the impending Ashes in Australia. The Ashes is scheduled to begin on December 8, but it has been in the news as few England players have withdrawn their names due to Cricket Australia's (CA) strict Covid-19 regulations.
Earlier, Australian skipper Tim Paine had taken a dig on English players for not travelling to Australia. Paine wasn't pleased with Joe Root's team's lack of enthusiasm for the Ashes.
"Well, the Ashes are going ahead -- the first Test is on December 8 whether Joe's here or not," Paine had said in a weekly segment on SEN sports radio.
Hussain responded to the Australian captain's remark by writing that the Australians, who have just played four Test matches throughout this period and that too at home, should not be lecturing the English players about their concerns.
"Right now, it feels as if England's Test players are getting a lot of flak, particularly from Australia, about their attitude to quarantining at the Ashes. And that doesn't sit comfortably with me. England has played 18 Test matches since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. That's five more than anyone else - and 14 more than Australia, whose four Tests all came at home against India last winter," Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail.
"I'm quite proud of the way in which England's Test team have kept the show on the road in difficult circumstances, moving in and out of bubbles and spending time away from their families. It's draining. Mental health has suffered. So, for people in Australia to start lecturing them, and telling them they should simply suck it up, is a bit rich," he added.
Moreover, the veteran England batter said that Aussie skipper lacks empathy and no Australian should teach the English team. It's often easier said than done, and the Australian players haven't spent much time in the bio-bubble, so they should remain quiet on this matter.
"When Tim Paine, Australia's Test captain, spoke recently I didn't hear much empathy from a fellow professional. Now others have jumped on the Ashes bandwagon as if England is somehow trying to dodge an important series. I get all the arguments. Yes, England's Test players are paid handsomely. Yes, representing your country, particularly in an away Ashes, is the highest honour there is for a professional cricketer. Yes, some of the players have chosen to add to their own burden by taking part in overseas T20 tournaments such as the IPL.
"I understand all that. But unless you've spent time in a bubble - and some of these guys have done it repeatedly - you don't get to lecture other people on how they should behave," Hussain wrote.
Australia currently retain the Ashes Trophy courtesy of their 2-2 draw in the dramatic Ashes which was played on English soil in 2019.
