Ashes 2017/18: Michael Vaughan Fears Another Whitewash for England
Dec 7, 2017 at 7:35 PM
England skipper Joe Root made it clear by saying his side is equally on the task in the ongoing Magellan Ashes series 2017-18 after going down 2-0 in the five-match competition.
“I don’t think that we’re as unevenly matched,” Root was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
The right-handed batsman Root adamant in approach said they had given their best against the hosts’ Australian side which has been a strong force on the home soil.
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Root was clear that the Three Lions had made things difficult for Steven Smith-led Australia in Brisbane and then in the pink-ball affair in Adelaide.
“We showed throughout the two games for periods that we can outperform Australia,” Root remarked.
Former England players differed in saying with Root, as they fear the visiting side might witness the thumping 5-0 loss on the Australian soil.
After losing the Adelaide Test by 120 runs, England’s former skipper Bob Willis and Michael Vaughan have raised the pertinent question by saying things are getting difficult for the visitors in the series Down Under.
“At this rate, you wouldn’t be surprised if it was 5-0, as Adelaide probably represented England’s best chance to chalking up a victory,” Willis was quoted as saying by Sky Sports for the United Kingdom.
Moreover, Willis observed England side was thoroughly lacking in the competitiveness and has cleared the difference between two top teams in the long-established tournament. So much so, England on the final day of the Adelaide Test lost six wickets in the first session which revealed they are yet to give their best in the Ashes under the leadership of Root.
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Vaughan, on the other side, lambasted the side while suggesting the players to replicate what England did in the past. Interestingly, Vaughan was the top-scorer in 2002-03 in Australia.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult to win a Test match on this tour. This was the week we all fancied England to take something from. In Perth, the ball won’t swing like this,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the BBC.
England great Geoffrey Boycott in his straightforward response revealed Australia is far better side, as England is struggling with the 0-2 scoreline and he eventually believes this time around Root-led side has already lost the Urn.
“Let’s be brutally honest. The Ashes are gone. We are not coming back from 2-0 down. England will have a massive job avoiding a 5-0 thrashing,” Boycott explained.
England veteran Ian Botham reiterated the England Cricket Board (ECB) should call-up all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Perth Test which is slated for December 14.
“I would play the strongest side and that includes Ben,” Botham told Fox Sports. He would be the X-factor that might shake things up. England need to act and act quickly,” Botham concluded.
However, Stokes was named in the One-day international squad alongside Alex Hales, as the decision regarding the Bristol street-brawl is still pending.
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