Michael Vaughan has warned that the time of judgment is nigh for those in charge of England’s Ashes campaign.
One of the most eagerly anticipated tours in a generation got off to a sad start in Perth, with Ben Stokes’ side suffering a first two-day defeat to Australia in 104 years.
That increased the pressure ahead of next week’s day/night Test in Brisbane, but those responsible for England’s strategy – notably Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and general manager Rob Key – have turned down the chance to send senior players to Canberra for a pink-ball practice match at the weekend.
That was met with disappointment and disbelief in some quarters, not least from Vaughan, but the current regime has never succumbed to traditional thinking or questioned its own instincts.
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England’s decisions will be judged on the outcome of the series, says Michael Vaughan
(Robbie Stephenson/PA)
Judgement
Now the man who regained the urn as skipper in 2005 says those in the top jobs are facing the moment of truth.
“They went 2-0 down in 2023 (later 2-2) and we gave them all a little bit of rope because they were just at the start of the journey,” Vaughan told the Overlap’s Stick to Cricket podcast.
“Did you learn anything from ’23? From what I’ve seen this week, the honest answer is no, it hasn’t, which disappoints me.”
“When you are in positions of power and leadership, you can do exactly what you want, but you will be judged on that.
“Now is the time to judge. Right now they’ve had one chance here in Australia and it hasn’t worked.”
Horrible
Opener Zak Crawley is also facing mounting criticism, heading to Queensland on the back of two ducks and a Test average that has fallen below 31.
But Sir Alastair Cook, who made an impressive 766 runs at the top of the table during the triumphant 2010-11 tour, believes he will get the whole series before the selectors even consider moving on.
“He has been singled out and supported for three years at the moment,” Cook told the podcast.
“England are happy with three innings (a series) from him, and those three innings are usually incredible. He now has to deliver three out of eight to make it work.”
“The decision on Zak will be whether this works for the next eight innings. OK, he took a couple, which is terrible, but it happens.”
“It doesn’t change anything about Zak Crawley. They just support him, they can’t change now and they won’t change until after Sydney (the last Ashes Test).”
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