Surrey captain and ex England batsman, Mark Butcher has slammed the England team after their recent 189 run defeat at the hands of the New Zealanders, citing that they were “toothless with the ball”.

Butcher also called for Stuart Broad’s inclusion into the squad for the second Test Match that begins on Wednesday night at the expense of Steve Harmison.

He said, “I have seen Steve bowl some frightening spells where he generates some extreme pace and bounce but he is down in confidence at the moment. Can you afford to be hoping that he’ll be back to his best in the space of a few days? I don’t think you can.”

He added, “Stuart Broad is ready and firing to go.”

Butcher also blamed the chopping and changing of England’s line up, explaining that players were not sure what their role was.

“We’ve had a change in the opening pair, Andrew Strauss going from opener to number three, Ian Bell from three to six. No one is sure of their role. I think Ian Bell is England’s most fluent player and he should be asking for a more concrete position in the batting order.”

However, despite the worries, Butcher is confident that the team can hit back.

“New Zealand are ranked 7th in the world and some of their batsmen are not all that experienced. If we can put them under pressure early on then I think we can turn things around. But being one nil down, they’ll need to show a lot of character to do it.”

Butcher’s full interview can be watched by visiting Surrey TV.

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