"Can't mix entertainment with stupidity" - Michael Vaughan blasts England for losing wickets to Australia's short-ball plan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan lambasted the natiomal team for displaying their 'stupidity' on day two of the second Ashes Test at Lord's. The 48-year-old warned that entertainment and stupidity can never go hand in hand.
With no appreciable seam movement or swing off the pitch, the Australian bowlers resorted to the short ball plan. Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Ben Duckett fell prey to it as England lost three wickets for a mere 34 runs at one stage.
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Speaking to BBC Sport's Ashes Daily, Vaughan observed that England played proper cricketing strokes for their first 182 runs before things went downhill.
"I think we've got to be realistic though, we can't mix entertainment with stupidity. Now, for the first 182 runs, I saw an England side that went out to bat and played with great entertainment because they played proper cricket strokes. They played the Australian bowlers, the quicks, with great balance, great scoring options on the front foot, the back foot."
After bowling Australia out for 416 in just over an hour, Duckett and Zak Crawley started strongly. The pair combined for a 91-run partnership before Nathan Lyon struck to remove Crawley.
"I thought Australia offered too many easy options" - Michael Vaughan
Vaughan further underlined that it was easy for the England batters to hit through the line easily, given the pitch wasn't doing much but slammed them for giving their wickets away easily.
"I thought Australia offered too many easy options. The ball wasn't doing anything laterally so it was quite nice to hit through the line. The likes of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope played beautifully. It was great to watch. Pat Cummins, he only had that option to go to because there was nothing happening through the air. There was no seam movement, so he decides to go to the short stuff and what came after that for the next hour or was absolute stupidity."
England will resume their innings at 278-4 on day three, with Ben Stokes and Harry Brook at the crease.