Former skippers blast England after abject surrender in the second Test

London, July 18: Several former England captains came down heavily on the team after the hosts lost to South Africa by 340-run in the second Test at Trent Bridge.

Nasser Hussain delivered a withering indictment on the "abysmal" selection of the current side.

Hussain said the failure of recent inclusions to adapt to the top level reflected poorly on the selection panel, made up of chairman James Whitaker, Angus Fraser and Mick Newell. "The lads who are coming in aren't doing anything," Hussain told Sky Sports.

"They won (the first Test at Lord's) because of Joe Root. The ones they've won before have been because of Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad in Johannesburg.

"The selectors are going to have to have a good long look at themselves because their record in the last two years - two years ago it was one-day cricket, now in Test match cricket - their selections have been abysmal.

"You name some lads who have come in - (James) Vince, (Ben) Duckett, (Gareth) Batty, (Zafar) Ansari, (Alex) Hales, Ballance - there is no one coming in and doing well. It is a sad indictment of county cricket that they are getting runs there and not for England."

Ballance has been in prolific form for Yorkshire this season. But Hussain said: "Selection is not just about saying 'Gary Ballance has 1000 first-class runs so Gary Ballance plays.' Speak to umpires, speak to bowlers, has he actually changed? He hasn't changed a thing and we're getting exactly what we got the last two times."

Ian Botham agreed with Hussain's call for change, although with caution. Botham suggested legspinner Adil Rashid should be in line for a recall but he backed Jennings to hold his place in the side.

"Selections have been a bit iffy from England and from the outside looking in it seems as though Root said he wanted Ballance to play, while Dawson was Trevor Bayliss' pick," Botham told Sky Sports.

Geoffrey Boycott was deeply unimpressed by the lack of application during Monday's collapse. "They need better batsmen and a better attitude," Boycott, told BBC Radio's Test Match Special. "Only Alastair Cook made any effort to play in the sort of the way that the situation demanded.

"The rest of them have a flamboyant way of playing. Play shots, whack it, hit it, get fours. Everybody keeps saying this brave new England side, attacking England side, we like to play positive and they have all got sucked into this feeling.

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