Sussex Sharks head coach Paul Farbrace delivered a hard-hitting critique after his side’s latest defeat in the T20 Blast.
After four straight losses and just one win in six, he said: “It is a run of games that show we have an awful lot of work to do as a team.
“Last week I shared my views in very blunt terms and since then there has been no point in having raised voiced in the changing room at the end of a game because we know we have an awful amount of work to do.
“I said at the Ageas Bowl that we were taught a lesson in every aspect of the game and tonight I guess is another of those lessons.
“We talk about wanting to be aggressive and positive in the way that we play but we’re not. We’re not laying a glove on the opposition.
“We are meandering to a score without any real purpose. It is clear our batters have a lot of work to do. That is on me as much as the team.
“My job, with the other coaches, is to improve players and team performance. And we are not doing that at the moment.
“It isn’t a case of me telling players that they need to get better because I include myself in that. I’ve still got a lot of learning to do. I want to learn and make this team better every day.
“We have a group of people who work exceptionally hard and we have got talent but what we’re not doing at the moment is harnessing that into a team performance and that is frustrating.
“It is not good enough what we are doing and it will be another night of lying awake at 3am or 4am, staring at the ceiling and thinking what we can do to improve things. What can I do or say in practice or team meetings?
“I’m not going to give up on this tournament and say that it is gone now and we should focus on Championship cricket because every game is an opportunity to learn and get better. We can’t just throw the towel in and make excuses.
“I don’t think we are the best team in the tournament when you compare our players to other teams but that doesn’t mean that in T20 anyone can’t beat anyone.
“All you need is a couple of players in your team to have a good night and the game can go your way.
“At the moment we aren’t doing that – and as individuals and as a team we aren’t competing and that’s the hardest bit for me.
“I don’t care how good Essex are as we aren’t making teams work hard to beat us.”
