Ashes 2023: Michael Vaughan Feels England Exposed Australia's Vulnerabilities Despite Losing At Lord's

Former England National Cricket Team captain Michael Vaughan has made a bold remark, stating that Ben Stokes & Co. exposed the vulnerabilities of the Australia National Cricket Team despite losing the second match of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series.

Australia won the second Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Aussies gave England 371 runs to chase in the final innings. Ben Stokes played a sensational 155-run knock but lack of support from the other end meant the Three Lions were bundled for 327.

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In his column for The Telegraph, Michael Vaughan stated that the short-pitched bowling tactics of England exposed Australia. However, the Ashes-winning captain was disappointed that England batted for 76.2 overs and scored 325 runs. He felt that the Ben Stokes-led side had the opportunity to bat for a longer period. He elaborated:

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“At Lord’s, England did expose some cracks in the Australians. Their short-pitched bowling tactics exposed some real vulnerabilities. But ultimately to only bat 76.2 overs in the first innings is what’s created the problems for England. With England 188-1 at Lord’s in the first innings, a sunny day and good batting conditions and Nathan Lyon injured, England had a real chance to bat big.

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“They should have been thinking – let’s bat 120, 130 overs here, get lots of overs into their seamers. It actually cost them in the second innings too. Had England batted longer in the first innings, Australia’s seamers wouldn’t have been as fresh in the second innings and it would have been much harder for them.”

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You can’t afford to be so generous against a team as good as Australia – Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan further lashed out at England players for their poor fielding in the second Test. He said that England can’t afford to be generous against a dangerous team like Australia. Vaughan also felt that England lost the first two matches of the series due to their own mistakes.

“It’s not just the sloppiness with the bat. There’s also been too many dropped catches and sloppiness in the field. Australia scored 74 extras this Test match – that’s far too many. You can’t afford to be so generous against a team as good as Australia.

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“When you lose by such small margins – two wickets at Edgbaston, 43 runs at Lords – the team aren’t doing their jobs if they don’t highlight and address those little mistakes that they’re making. That’s what should really frustrate England – they’ve almost been defeated by themselves more than the Australians.”

England will be looking to bounce back in the series in the third Test, which is set to be played from July 06 to 10, 2023, at the Headingley in Leeds. Both teams have already named their squad for the third Test.

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