ENG Vs NZ: “They Have Gone Safe”- Michael Vaughan Slams Brendon Mccullum And Ben Stokes For Picking A ‘Disappointing’ England Squad

Former England captain Michael Vaughan heavily criticized the new England squad chosen for the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand under new head coach Brendon McCullum and new captain Ben Stokes.

The ‘new-look’ England side sees veteran pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad making a comeback into the side after being dropped for the West Indies tour early this year despite having 1177 wickets in Tests in between them. Also included were uncapped duo Harry Brook and Matty Potts in the 15-man squad.

However, Vaughan has described the selections as “a little bit disappointing”, particularly the omission of leg-spinner Matt Parkinson.

In his latest column for the Telegraph, Vaughan wrote: “The first Test squad picked by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes is a little bit disappointing. I understand there are injuries and players unavailable but the attack lacks variety. I don’t see what more Matt Parkinson has to do to be picked. Jack Leach is a great character who gives everything with bat and ball but we know his ceiling is only so high.”

“As we have seen in county cricket this summer, if the ball is not moving around then you need something a little bit different and I do not see any variation in this attack. I thought Rob Key and McCullum would have gone straight to the leg spinner for that reason. It is an early sign that personnel may have changed in the management but the thinking is the same. They have picked an English-style attack.”

Michael Vaughan Questions Selections Of Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow And Ollie Pope

Vaughan was also critical of the selections of Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, and Ollie Pope in the England squad stating their vulnerabilities against the moving ball. On the other hand, he advised England to hand a Test debut to Matty Potts as the Durham star “has that little bit of extra pace”. This is due to the likes of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Olly Stone, and Saqib Mahmood being out of action with injuries.

He added: “How do they stop Zak Crawley driving moving balls from Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson? Can Jonny Bairstow find consistency at five? Can Ollie Pope at three play with control? I suspect England will play sensible Test cricket under McCullum and Stokes. I don’t think this pairing will be as flamboyant as we think and their selections show that. They have gone safe.”

This squad has been named for the first two Tests which will be played from 2-6 June in Lord’s and from June 10-June 14 in Nottingham respectively.

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