England no better than Bangladesh, says Bedi
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Your support makes all the difference.Indian spin legend Bishan Bedi has launched a scathing attack on the England cricket team as they prepared for this morning's fourth one-day international here. A severely depleted England side lost the first three one-day matches in Delhi, Faridabad and Goa, and they need to defeat India in the remaining four games of their nine-week tour to win the series.
Bedi, who took 266 wickets for India in 67 Test matches and spent six summers playing for Northamptonshire, believes that Andrew Flintoff's side lack the passion and skill to compete on the subcontinent, and has forecast a 7-0 victory for the home side.
"In the three one-dayers so far, England have been woefully lacking cricket logic," said Bedi. "The absence of players nursing injuries back home is a handicap but their bench strength is not much better than Bangladesh. For some unknown reason, England are not good enough to raise a team for an international contest.
"We see all the past England greats sitting in the commentary or press box but not one of them is willing to take up the cudgel on behalf of English cricket. The composition of the England team has been baffling to say the least. How could you leave Vikram Solanki, Matthew Hoggard and Gareth Batty out of the playing XI?
"Most of the problems the visitors are facing are self-inflicted. Something must come from within to stir up national pride. Wearing England colours should give goose pimples, and that emotion is not touching many of the present lot. Where is the passion to play for England? It ought to be visible.
"Finally, I must confess my own folly. I thought India and England were of equal strength but they are not. If the hot weather holds, India will make it a clean sweep and win 7-0."
During his playing career, Bedi's outspoken views and confrontational nature inevitably led to controversy. On England's 1976/77 tour of India, there was a major incident when Bedi objected to John Lever wearing vaseline on his eyebrows, and in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1976, he declared India's second innings closed as a protest against the intimidatory bowling of the West Indies.
Following his retirement from the game in 1981, he became the Indian coach and, in 1990, after a disappointing tour, he threatened to dump the team in the sea on the return journey home. Bedi has also been very critical of the International Cricket Council, the game's governing body, for allowing Muttiah Muralitharan to continue bowling with what he feels is a suspect action.
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