England can no longer afford to ‘carry’ Collingwood after Perth loss: Warne

MELBOURNE - Legendary bowler Shane Warne has said that batsman Paul Collingwood is England’s weak link as they fight to retain the Ashes in Melbourne.

In an exclusive live blog, Warne said England could no longer afford to “carry” players after losing the third Test in Perth, The Herald Sun reports.

“When a team is winning, you can carry a player or two, but unfortunately for Paul Collingwood, he’s been short of runs for a while,” Warne said.

“Since Perth, when Australia smashed the Poms, Collingwood is back in the spotlight for his lack of runs. He might get one more chance here in Melbourne but he needs to make some runs,” he wrote.

Warne also said that Nathan Hauritz form with bat and ball at state level warranted a recall to the Australian Test team.

“What has impressed me about Hauritz, he’s gone back and taken wickets and made runs,” Warne said. (ANI)