India, Dec. 28 -- Geoffrey Boycott didn't dress England's Boxing Day Test win up as a miracle. He framed it as a verdict, then turned his aim on modern batting and modern cricket's priorities.

Writing for The Telegraph, Boycott argued England's win came from basics done better, and he believes Australia's batting is now paying the price.

"England won the Boxing Day Test because they played better cricket than Australia. It was no fluke," Boycott wrote, before turning to what he sees as the deeper problem behind collapses on lively pitches.

"One-day matches are played on the flattest batting pitches the groundsmen can provide so the batsmen can dominate by hitting hard at the ball," he said. "It is absolutely the opposite of learning to...