Sir Geoffrey Boycott warns England not to believe their own hype ahead of Ashes

Sir Geoffrey Boycott has warned England not to believe their own hype ahead of this winter’s Ashes, suggesting they do not need to act like ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ to defeat Australia.

As player, captain and pundit, Boycott has long been a cautionary voice about the excesses of modern cricket. Now 84, the Yorkshireman is optimistic about the prospects of Ben Stokes regaining the urn, but only if England show the necessary cutting edge.

Name-dropping the American basketball team, who play exhibitions to excite crowds rather than lift trophies, Boycott told Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast: “They’ve got it into their head that they’re entertainers, that they’re the Harlem Globetrotters. They’re not. The object of playing is to win.

“There’s one or two of them…you hear them talk and their hubris and arrogance because they’ve played positive, expansive, wonderful cricket at times.

“We’ve got to be careful. We have seen them sometimes go overboard just playing daft attacking cricket when they could just settle back a bit, bat sensibly and we’ll win the match.

“We have a right to be a bit critical of that because it’s silly cricket. But our cricket has gone from there (the bottom), up there. All they have to do now is use a bit of brain. A bit of common sense.”

Boycott also aimed a modest assessment at the Australians, highlighting a vulnerable batting lineup as a weak spot as they look to keep hold of the Ashes for the fifth series in a row.

“Anything’s possible in sport, we’ve seen funny results in football, rugby, anything. Nothing’s taken for granted and I don’t think the Aussies are that great,” Boycott said.

“I think their batting is very ordinary, (there’s) two players, the rest wouldn’t worry me if I was playing against them as captain.

“Make them play exceptionally, that puts them under pressure at home. I’ve seen their media turn when their team doesn’t play well.”