Boycott urging England not to believe own hype

Sir Geoffrey Boycott has warned England not to believe their own hype ahead of this winter's Ashes, suggesting they do not need to act like 'Harlem Globetrotters' to defeat Australia.

- by Harriet Sutton

As player, captain and pundit, Boycott has long been a cautionary voice about the excesses of modern cricket.

Now 84, the Yorkshireman is optimistic about the prospects of Ben Stokes regaining the urn, but only if England show the necessary cutting edge.

Name-dropping the American basketball team, who play exhibitions to excite crowds rather than lift trophies, Boycott told Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast: “They've got it into their head that they're entertainers, that they’re the Harlem Globetrotters.