Former England test captain Michael Vaughan has sounded the Ashes alarm less than three weeks from the first Test in Perth, revealing fears Ben Stokes’ side could be ‘blown away’.
In a column for The Telegraph, the 82-Test veteran raised serious batting concerns based on England’s current ODI series against New Zealand which, to be polite, is not going especially well—while key members of Australia’s top order including Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja pile on the first-class runs in Sheffield Shield.
“My concern is not so much the preparation that England are having before the Ashes, as the side not learning lessons for Australia,” Vaughan wrote.
“The worry is that as soon as the ball does anything, in two consecutive ODI games, they (England’s batsmen) have just been blown away.”
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At the heart of Vaughan’s fears, of course, is the attack-at-all-costs ‘Bazball’ philosophy that has defined the reign of England head coach Brendon McCullum.
“Pitches Down Under are offering more for the bowlers, yet our aggressive batsmen cannot seem to grasp the requirement to move up and down the gears,” he commented.
“This England side are so dangerous, but (to win in Australia) they will have to absorb pressure at times.
“Every now and again, there will be a spell of Hazlewood, a spell of Boland and a spell of Starc that you just have to see out.
“If they don’t do that, they will get blown away—they will lose four or five wickets in an hour at certain times because of the way they play and that will gift Australia a Test victory.”
‘Don’t blow this opportunity too’
While Vaughan expressed his admiration for the current England side under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, he also urged them not to squander their rare chance to create Ashes history.
“They blew the chance of winning the Ashes in 2023, they blew the chance of beating India this summer (in England), don’t blow this opportunity too.”