England players lack motivation says Boycott

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Geoffrey Boycott claims England's under-performing cricketers no longer have the "motivation to improve".

He feels players are supported by so many backroom staff that there is no need for them to think for themselves.

England collapsed to an innings-and-23-run defeat in their first Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park.

The tourists were bowled out for 51 in their second innings on Saturday in Andrew Strauss' first game as captain.

Only Andrew Flintoff managed double figures as the tourists were obliterated by the home attack to be dismissed for England's third-lowest total of all time.

Writing in his in his column in the Daily Telegraph, Boycott said: "Look at the players who capitulated so spinelessly at Sabina Park and you will see that almost all of them appeared in Peter Moores' first series as coach back in 2007.

"I have nothing against continuity if a team are winning. But haven't England been getting their backsides kicked around the world for the past two years?"

"Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are still great players who would get into any side on the plant. But what about the rest of this sorry lot?

"Alistair Cook still has the same technical issues outside off-stump that the Australians exploited in the last Ashes series.

"Ian Bell still keels over at the first hint of pressure. Steve Harmison still blows hot and cold. And Monty Panesar still bowls the same ball six times an over.

"These lads just have it too easy. There is no motivation to improve when they have more than a dozen backroom staff to analyse their techniques, put out the cones at training, and virtually wipe their bottoms for them.

"I feel sorry for these modern players, because they don't have the chance to think for themselves and develop their own characters."