Michael Vaughan, the former England captain believes Joe Root-led England will not be able to win the Ashes 2021/22 series in Australia. He noted how the English side has struggled to win at home as well, which makes it tougher for them to win abroad.
India was leading 2-1 in the 5 match Test series against host England when the last Test was postponed mutually due to a Covid-19 case while England lost the 2 matches Test series 1-0 to New Zealand at home after losing 3-1 in 4 Tests on India. Their last series victory came against hosts Sri Lanka (2-0) way back in January 2021. Their last series win at home was against Pakistan where they won 1 out of 3 Tests in October 2020.
Michael Vaughan Didn’t Give Present England Test Team Much Chance Of Winning Ashes 2021/22 As They Didn’t Do Well In Their Home Conditions
Speaking about the same, Michael Vaughan pointed out how England failed to dominate the likes of India and New Zealand at home this year. He reckons the Test side’s lack of consistency could be a major reason for their downfall.
Michael Vaughan said: “I didn’t give (this) England (team) much chance of winning the Ashes here. For a team to arrive in Australia and do well, I think you need to have played well in your own backyard. The England Test side have been very inconsistent for a while now.”
India visited Australia last year. After being thumped in the first Test by the hosts, India staged a dramatic comeback to clinch the series Down Under. But Michael Vaughan does not feel England has the firepower to emulate that feat.
“India made a great comeback here in Australia after their embarrassing loss in the pink ball Test. But for England, they don’t seem to have players who have played well over a period to come here and put Australia consistently under pressure,” he added.
The Joe Root-led side has their backs against the wall after losing their first two fixtures of the five-match series against the Aussies. They are in desperate need of a miraculous turnaround as they look to stay afloat in the Ashes 2021-22.
England will once again look to make changes, this time primarily to their batting as they take the underperforming Surrey duo of Rory Burns and Ollie Pope out of the firing line, with the two likely to be replaced by Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow. After being rested in Adelaide, fast bowler Mark Wood should return to the side after an impressive showing in the first Test.
Michael Vaughan Expected England To Compete But They Were Blown Away On Day 1 In Both The Tests
The cricketer-turned-commentator expressed his disappointment at England failing to compete against the hosts in the ongoing series. Michael Vaughan stated that the touring side has not even got their basics right so far in the series. He pinpointed how the team erred in their team selection right from the opening encounter.
England benched senior pacer Stuart Broad on a green top at the Gabba. Furthermore, as per Michael Vaughan, their catching and fielding have also not been up to the mark. James Anderson, England’s highest wicket-taker in Tests also was injured and so dropping Stuart Broad backfired in the opening Test.
He added: “I didn’t expect them to win, but did expect them to compete. They just haven’t competed. They’ve been blown away on Day 1 of both games. You expect them to get the basics right. You need to get the team right, but they got it wrong in Brisbane. The fans expected them to give Aussies a tough time, like how India did a year ago. But they’re 2-0 down, which is disappointing.”
The two cricketing giants are slated to lock horns in the third Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The highly-anticipated encounter is slated to begin on Boxing Day (December 26). Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, and Jack Leach are all likely to come into the XI from Adelaide. It seems Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, and Stuart Broad may be the quartet who miss out.
England lost the first Test by 9 wickets and the second by 275 runs. England has struggled to cross 250, doing so only once in 4 innings.