Michael Vaughan comes down heavily on England after loss against New Zealand

14 Jun, 2021

Editor

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14 Jun, 2021 By Editor

With England losing the two-match Test series against New Zealand, England have faced some serious flak from all the corners. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has come down heavily on the England team for the loss.

Talking to the Telegraph, Vaughan said that England committed a mistake by not fielding a specialist spinner in both Tests against the Kiwis.

“They got lucky at Lord’s because it rained. But to make the same mistake two weeks in a row is a glaring tactical error. The wicket was not gripping and offering a lot of turn, but you need a variation when it is hot and dry at Edgbaston. You actually end up bowling your seamers more in a four-man seam attack each than with three seamers and the spinner so if they had picked Jack Leach, Joe Root could have also kept his seamers fresher. I hope England do not make the same mistake against India,” Vaughan told The Telegraph.

The former England captain thinks that if England have to come good against the Aussies, they will have to adapt and learn how to play on good Test pitches.

“Even though England have struggled on these pitches, I believe they have to continue playing on good wickets, which is what Chris Silverwood (England head coach) said he wanted this summer. I do not believe playing on green tops against India, even if it gets them a couple of cheap Test wins, will do them any good whatsoever as they build to Australia away and beyond. They need to learn how to play, and win, on good Test pitches,” he said.

“The past few weeks have been perfect wickets for Test cricket and regraded the team who has played the better cricket. England just have not been good enough. It has been a stark reminder that this Test match team have a long way to go before they can really think about beating Australia in Australia,” he added.

Before the Ashes, England will be against India in a five-match Test series and given the loss against New Zealand in home conditions, it’s expected to be another difficult challenge.