“Maybe Bairstow is a little bit undercooked after the injury” - Nasser Hussain on England’s shabby fielding effort on Day 1 at Headingley

Former England captain Nasser Hussain expressed dissatisfaction over the hosts’ poor fielding effort on Day 1 of the Headingley Test on Thursday, which saw them drop four catches.

Describing dropping catches as a virus, Hussain added that keeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who put down two of the chances, might be a bit undercooked as he is returning from injury. Apart from the keeper, Joe Root also put down a couple in the slip cordon.

Despite the let-offs, comeback pacers Mark Wood (5/34) and Chris Woakes (3/73) ensured that Australia were held to 263 after England won the toss and bowled first.

In his column for the Daily Mail Hussain questioned England’s fielding efforts and wrote:

“I felt for Chris Woakes, who ended up getting three wickets on his comeback and bowled beautifully, and even Mark Wood despite him taking his first five-wicket Test haul in England.

He added:

“Twice Woakes had chances put down doing exactly what captain Ben Stokes asked - hitting a full length, and finding the outside edge. In reprieving centurion Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head it cost England something like 138 runs.”

Stating that while England seem to be working hard on their fielding, Hussain stated that 14 drops and a missed stumping in Ashes 2023 so far represent the worst start of a series for them in six years.

On what might be going wrong, he opined:

“All I can say is there's no specific technical reason I can decipher. Maybe Jonny Bairstow is a little bit undercooked after the injury and his footwork behind the stumps is not as nimble as someone like Alex Carey.”

The 55-year-old added:

“Also, dropping catches is like a virus. A confidence thing. One goes down, and your hands stiffen up. The best slip fielders I played with in Mark Waugh and Nick Knight looked like they were catching an egg, their hands were so soft. But the moment one or two go down it is almost like you don't want the ball to come to you and if you're a bit tense, the ball can bounce off them.”

Marsh, who was dropped early in his innings by Root, made England pay, hammering a run-a-ball 118.

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“Small details that are letting England down” - Hussain

The former England captain also opined that the entire conversation around Bazball hurting the hosts is somewhat misleading since it is the basics that are letting them down.

Hussain wrote:

“What actually makes me cross around the whole Bazball chat is that it is the small details that are letting England down but that isn’t the narrative that’s coming across. If England win, it's all brilliant and down to Bazball. Lose, and it is because Bazball doesn't work."

Hussain concluded:

“Actually it is the basics of the game where they have fallen short: not having bowlers fit at the right time, batters not being ruthless when they have the opposition down, taking wickets from no-balls and fielders missing catches.”

Having bowled out Australia for 263, England went to stumps on Day 1 at 68/3, with Root and Bairstow at the crease.