The time for judgement has come, according to Michael Vaughan, for those in control of England’s Ashes campaign. Ben Stokes’ team lost their first two-day match against Australia in 104 years in Perth, marking a poor start to the much-anticipated tour.
The loss has raised the stakes for the day-night Test in Brisbane next week. But Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum, and managing director Rob Key decided against sending senior players to Canberra for a pink-ball practice match over the weekend.
Many people, including Vaughan, are disappointed by this choice. However, the current government has continuously put its own intuition ahead of conventional wisdom. According to Vaughan, who memorably won the Ashes back as England captain in 2005, those in high positions are currently confronting a crucial period.
“We all gave them a little rope because they were just at the beginning of the journey,” Vaughan said on the Overlap’s Stick to Cricket podcast after they lost 2-0 in 2023 (eventually tying 2-2).
Have you taken anything away from ’23? I’m disappointed because, based on what I’ve witnessed this week, the truthful response is that they haven’t. You can do anything you want when you’re in a leadership or power position, but you’ll still be evaluated for it. It’s time for judgement.
They’ve only got one chance so far in Australia, and it didn’t work out,” Vaughan continued.
As he travels to Queensland, England opener Zak Crawley is also coming under increasing scrutiny after two ducks and a Test average that has dropped below 31. The start was especially disappointing because Crawley had been predicted to do well on this tour for a long time.
But before selectors think about making any changes, Sir Alastair Cook, who scored an incredible 766 runs at the top of the order during England’s victorious 2010–11 Ashes tour, thinks Crawley will be given the entire series to prove himself.
For this moment, he has been chosen and supported for three years. He gives England three innings (a series), and those three innings are usually unbelievable. For it to succeed, he must now deliver three out of eight. Whether this works over the following eight innings will determine Zak’s fate. Alright, it’s terrible that he snatched a pair, but it happens. Regarding Zak Crawley, nothing changes. Cook stated, “They simply support him; they can’t change now and won’t change until after Sydney (the final Ashes Test).”
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