‘You're not trying to save a game here’ - Kumar Sangakkara perplexed by Alex Carey’s batting approach in fourth Ashes Test

Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara questioned Australia stumper-batter Alex Carey for his batting approach in the fourth Test against England in the ongoing Ashes 2023. The former cricketer pointed out that Carey was too defensive, which built pressure on the visiting team as they posted 299 runs for eight wickets on Day 1 of the Test.

Sangakkara also mentioned that Carey was trying to shield Mitchell Starc and hence missed out on scoring runs against the new ball. He added saying that Carey looked like he is saving a game, at a time when scoring runs in the first innings should have been his utmost priority.

“Carey tried to shield Mitchell Starc from the new ball and missed out on a lot of runs. That for me is not right because runs matter in the first innings. You're not trying to save a game here. If you want to farm the strike then you have to be aggressive but Carey was caught in two minds. He let the team down by not scoring 5-10 runs when it mattered given the context of the series,” Sangakkara said while speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket's Ashes Podcast.

Sangakkara points out Australia’s struggle against short ball

The 45-year-old also expressed his disappointment to see Australian cricketers struggle against short-pitch deliveries. He stated that the batters should have done better, especially when the conditions in Australia produce bouncy tracks.

“You can really sustain it (short ball barrage) for two sessions of play before the bowlers really tire. You got to be able to play and grind that period out. Mark Wood is a real danger with the short ball, and perhaps Broad. Woakes and Anderson not as much. Australia just haven't been able to do that even after growing up playing on bouncy wickets and that's one of the major reasons why England are on the ascendancy,” Sangakkara mentioned.

Meanwhile, England will be hoping to start well on Day 2 and will be aiming to take a proper lead in order to put the visiting team under pressure. They are currently trailing 2-1 in the series and thus, cannot afford to lose the ongoing Test.