Leaving Ben Stokes’ England grapple with doubts about their Bazball approach of playing the longest format, Rohit Sharma’s Team India became the number one ranked side in the newly-released ICC Test Team Rankings on Sunday. While India regained the top spot, England are returning home after a flop show in the ICC World Test Championship, which has also invited fresh scrutiny to their attacking style of playing Test cricket.
Rohit and Co. thrashed England 4-1 in the five-match series at home to claim the top spot in the latest standings. Not long ago, former England skipper Michael Vaughan questioned the approach of England batters by giving Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola a special mention. After India thrashed England in the 5th Test in the first three days, Vaughan observed that the visitors must have an honest review of their recent Test mauling at the hands of Rohit’s men.
Vaughan wants Stokes and Co. to have a dose of honesty
“After a humbling series defeat in India, I strongly believe that a dose of honesty is the most important thing for this England team right now. I don’t believe they need to rip everything up. They are better playing this way than they would be otherwise. I respect what they are trying to do, and get up early every day to watch them because they have me on the edge of my seat and I know something is going to happen. The great frustration is that they have the talent to be really competitive all over the world but they have blown two big series and in this case it was because their batting failed miserably,” Vaughan mentioned in his column for Daily Telegraph.
Vaughan on ruthless Guardiola
Vaughan reiterated that England’s cricket team should take a cue from Manchester City boss Guardiola. Vaughan observed that the Man City head coach doesn’t always do what his players want him to. The Englishman praised the Man City manager for making ruthless decisions about selection and training regimes. The former England skipper recalled that the management gave Stokes and Co. just about everything that they wanted for their visit to India. England visited Abu Dhabi in the lead-up to the India series. Stokes and Co. also enjoyed a golf trip to Bangalore during the five-match test series.
‘Backroom team made up of cheerleaders’
“I am not one for old-school preparation, with three first-class matches at the start of a tour. Those days are gone, and it’s not needed. But surely with two long breaks, you need to get some cricket into the outside of the team, so they are ready if required, and to keep those in the XI on their toes. It also might help players in the team find form. By doing nothing, you get yourself into a Catch 22. I do worry it’s a backroom team made up of cheerleaders. That’s based on what I hear in public, and maybe it’s different in the changing room, but players need challenging and questioning at times,” Vaughan concluded.
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