"No hiding place from spin in Asian conditions" - Nasser Hussain warns England openers ahead of India tour

Nasser Hussain believes that England openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley have a lot to learn after they showed vulnerabilities against spin in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

The former England captain believes that there is no hiding place from spin bowling in Asian conditions, and both Sibley and Crawley have a lot of improving to do ahead of the upcoming series against India.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain wrote:

"As England’s new opening partnership of Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley have discovered, there is no hiding place from spin in Asian conditions. The one thing I would ask them to do is make sure they have practised properly."

"As Sibley found out on Sunday, there is a distinct difference between facing a brand new one and one that is ‘newish’, because the odd delivery will land on the shiny side and skid on."

Both Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell cheaply to Sri Lanka spinner Lasith Embuldeniya in their second innings as England made a woeful start to their chase of 74.

---

"Be busy but strike a balance" - Nasser Hussain's advice to England's openers

Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley face a tough assignment against India next month

England openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley failed to reach double figures in both their innings in the first Test match against Sri Lanka.

Nasser Hussain feels that Crawley was a bit frantic, while Sibley showed "a slight technical issue," a worrying sign no doubt for England ahead of the crunch series against India next month.

"Sibley has a slight technical issue because his bat comes from gully towards mid-on, meaning the outside edge becomes vulnerable to both left-arm and leg spin. I also thought Crawley was a bit frenetic. He didn’t need to win the match inside a session. Be busy but strike a balance. Driving on these pitches is not easy."

"Part of the learning for people like Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe and myself in the past was going to the subcontinent and working with Duncan Fletcher to improve our playing of spin."

Nasser Hussain still feels that the two England openers will come good, and believes that the experience of playing in the subcontinent will ultimately help them become better players.