"County cricket isn't to blame", Mickey Arthur Targets IPL For England's Dismal Show In Tests

In recent months, many former English cricketers have come out and openly criticized Indian Premier League to be the main reason for England Test Team to have dismal form. Now, Mickey Arthur has also suggested the same. In this article, we take a look at what the former Sri Lankan coach had to say.

England's Test Team is in disarray

The England Test Team has been in poor form for a few years now. Things escalated after the team lost the recent Ashes 4-0. Since then, Head Coach Chris Silverwood has been sacked and the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been dropped for the upcoming West Indies series.

A few experts have opined that the lack of quality in County Cricket is the main reason for the disappointing display. Others, though, are targeting the IPL.

Mickey Arthur blames the IPL

After his arrival to the upcoming season of County cricket as a coach, Mickey Arthur let his thoughts about the current state of England cricket flow. Speaking to a British newspaper, he said, "England must stop players from playing in IPL to improve Test side. If you want to lay the blame, you can lay it right there. County cricket isn't to blame."

However, notably, very few Test players from England actually participate in the IPL. While the likes of Joe Root have always avoided it, recently, Ben Stokes also pulled out of IPL 2022. This point is being forgotten by many who start commenting on IPL being the reason for the decline of the England Test Team.

Meanwhile, a few English players have yet again earned well at the IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions. Players such as Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood were on the subject of intense bidding wars which led them to earn hefty contracts.