"They can't handle it" - Sir Alastair Cook blasts England batting line-up after New Zealand defeat

Former England skipper Alastair Cook has condemned the England team, claiming 'they can't handle' the pressure and intensity of Test cricket following their humiliating defeat to New Zealand at Edgbaston.

The Black Caps won the two-match Test series 1-0, winning the second Test by eight wickets. They needed just 11 second-innings overs to chase down the 38-run target.

The second Test saw yet another England batting collapse as they were bowled out for 122 in the second innings. Mark Wood was the only batsman to cross the 25-run mark.

Wood and Olly Stone, who was the last man to be dismissed, had led the recovery after England were reduced to 76/7 in just 27 overs.

Following the defeat, Alastair Cook questioned the England batting line-up's ability to handle the pressure and intensity of Test cricket.

New Zealand win by 8 wickets to seal the series.Scorecard/Videos: https://t.co/78CRZ3kHge#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/iJ5wN4KJMA

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 13, 2021

"From what I've seen of this batting line-up, when the pressure comes on, the intensity of Test cricket, the scrutiny of it, they can't handle it," said Alastair Cook while commentating for BBC Radio's Test Match Special on Sunday.

The current forms of Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley remain a concern for Alastair Cook ahead of the five-match Test series against India.

While Pope managed just 84 runs in the two New Zealand Tests, Crawley scored just 21. Sibley was the better of the lot, scoring a fifty in the second innings of the first Test, but scored only 43 in the other three innings.

"They have quirky techniques, but they've scored a lot of runs in county cricket and at times scored Test runs. When the pressure comes they are not handling the mental pressure that you need to do. It is a massive area of concern for me," he added.

It would be the wrong time to start panicking: Joe Root

Despite being outplayed by the Black Caps, England skipper Joe Root is not in favor of a complete overhaul of the Test side ahead of the India series.

What does England captain #JoeRoot have to say about his 1st Test series defeat at home as skipper, watch here#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/LqfAwNdx3K

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) June 13, 2021

"It would be the wrong time to start panicking and rip up all the hard work we have done for such a long period of time," he said. "Historically we've done that going into major tournaments and going into major series and it's made things even worse. We've been outplayed in all three departments and particularly the batting," Root added.

It remains to be seen what measures England will take before the Test series against India. When the two teams met earlier this year, Virat Kohli & Co thrashed England 3-1 in a fourth-match Test series.