Ian Botham has lambasted England’s Ashes preparation once again, calling their decision to play ODIs in New Zealand ahead of the series “absolute nonsense” and insisting that “nets are for fishing” when asked about the merits of practice versus a competitive red-ball warm-up match.
England came under severe criticism for their preparation even before a humiliating first Test defeat to Australia in Perth, with a number of ex-internationals, including Botham, claiming they would be under-cooked.
