Despite England staring at another Ashes series loss Down Under which will mean they won’t be able to get hold of the Urn which they let go off in 2021, former captain Michael Vaughan has warned against wholesale changes to the team. Australia, thanks to a fine unbeaten century from Travis Head on Day 3 of the third Test at Adelaide Oval, have a firm grip on the match with their lead currently standing at 356 runs and six wickets in hand.
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The Bazball approach which England embraced with an eye on the ongoing series has failed to deliver with their batting approach coming under intense scrutiny right through the series. A defeat in Adelaide would mean fourth successive Test series loss in Australia, where England are without a win in 17 straight Tests. Each of England’s previous Ashes defeats on Australian soil has brought out plenty of changes.
However, Vaughan said the England and Wales Cricket Board shouldn’t take a similar route this time despite the series loss. “English cricket often works in four-year cycles, home and away Ashes series,” Vaughan told the Ashes Debrief on BBC iPlayer. “One or two players need to go because they aren’t good enough at this level, but a number of them have enough talent. If they are coached and managed correctly, and given the right kind of preparation, they are going to be fine in four years. It’s the only way I can see that English cricket can possibly be competitive in Australia, if they stick with some of the players that have the experience. Bad experience is better than no experience,” Vaughan added.
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While the likes of captain Ben Stokes, batsman Joe Root touring Australia for another Ashes looks far-fetched at the moment, Vaughan believed many in England’s set-up have it in them to have another shot Down Under. And Vaughan said the next two Tests at Melbourne and Sydney will provide England plenty of opportunities to learn.
“I look back to 2002-03, we were 4-0 down and won in Sydney. I learnt a lot about the next few years from winning that one game,” said Vaughan. “England can’t think there is nothing to gain from the next two games. If this goes wrong, and it looks like it may do, Melbourne and Sydney are still opportunities to learn for the next time they come or the next time they play Australia.”