On hearing of Yardy's battle with depression forcing him home, the 70-year-old Test legend claimed: "He must have been upset with the things I've been saying about him."
The suggestion that Yardy's illness had anything to do with Boycott (inset) or even his poor form was rubbished by Three Lions skipper Andrew Strauss. "We were disappointed with those comments," said Strauss.
"It just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue. To link it in any way to how he has performed in the World Cup is a long way wide of the mark.
"It's a lack of information and a lack of being informed about the situation. I really don't think your cricketing ability or what you have achieved has anything to do with it, ever."
Strauss spoke on behalf of a squad privately seething at Boycott's comments.
Advertisement - article continues below »
The England captain's sympathy for Yardy was obvious, but he is determined to keep his side focused on the World Cup.
He added: "It is a horrible thing to go through and we are 100 per cent behind him. We know there are ways of managing it, but for the time being it's desperately disappointing for him and for us as a squad.
"It is not difficult for us to focus on this game. It's a one-off event - if we lose, we are on the plane home, if we win, we are in a World Cup semi-final.
"As players, you get used to switching on and off.
"There is a limit to how much you can do as a colleague. I certainly don't think players should be blamed for it. It's just one of those things."
Follow Daily Mirror cricket correspondent Dean Wilson on Twitter at CricketMirror
No comments:
Post a Comment