McGrath slams England's attitude

England's slump is being worsened by their poor attitude and their selection of ageing debutants, according to Glenn McGrath. Mal Loye and Paul Nixon were doing nothing to move England forward and the team seemed to be waiting for an individual to lift them out of their doldrums, McGrath said.

Writing in his column in the Sunday Telegraph, McGrath rubbished Paul Collingwood's comments that England needed "a bit of luck or someone to have a great game for us to turn it around". "I disagree," McGrath wrote. "Winning happens when you operate as a whole team. Cricket is not decided by one guy.

"I find it hard to understand England talking about rediscovering their fight, because Australia wouldn't lose it in the first place. We pride ourselves on putting up a fight in every single game we play."

McGrath said England had erred by not including players like Vikram Solanki and Owais Shah, who at 30 and 28, should still be considered long-term contenders. "When you look at the two guys they have brought in - Mal Loye and Paul Nixon - you have to wonder what they are trying to achieve," he said.

"They are both pretty old. Loye seems to have just one good shot, the slog-sweep, but he's played three games and got out to the same shot. With Nixon, bringing in a guy who is 36 just doesn't make sense when you have Chris Read and Geraint Jones around and both younger, more long-term prospects."

McGrath's criticisms came as Stuart Law also hit out at England's attitude and their selection of players like "that timid little creature Ian Bell". But Law told the Sunday Mail that Loye, his team-mate at Lancashire, should have been in the team right through the tour. "England have got it all wrong," Law said. "They need to pick some blokes who will have a go.

"At least if they are going to get beaten they should go down swinging. Mal is known for the freakish slog-sweep but there's a lot more to him than that. I think he's the best player of horizontal bat shots in England. He should have been picked from the start of the summer. At least he's got some heart and he's not afraid of the Australians like some of the other blokes."