"Don't allow the opposition back into the game" - Michael Vaughan on Ben Stokes' captaincy ahead of Day 5 of the Ashes opener
Former England captain Micheal Vaughan applauded current skipper Ben Stokes for batting in a more conventional way on Day 4 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Stokes came to bat with England perilously placed 129/4 in their second essay. He started his innings in a measured manner, scoring only nine of his first 29 deliveries.
Despite eventually ending on 43 from 66 balls, Vaughan was complimentary of Stokes doing away with the Bazball approach considering the game situation.
Speaking to Cricbuzz at the end of the fourth day's play, Michael Vaughan said:
"There was an element though where the skipper Ben Stokes who is the Bazballer, he went out and played a bit of the old school Test match cricket because he knew when he went out to bat the game was on a knife edge and he had to just play a little bit of the conventional way."
"That's what I want to see - I love what they're trying to do, I absolutely adore watching expansive cricket but I also want to see every now and again when they've got the opposition by the neck, just play a little bit conventional and don't allow the opposition back into the game," he added.
Vaughan was also interested to see Ben Stokes' approach on Day 5, particularly his fields for the spinners.
"Intrigued with Ben (Stokes) and his captaincy on the last day. Saw a little bit tonight where he goes on the squeeze, runs are going to be such a premium that you can't just allow boundaries to happen," Vaughan stated.
"When the spinner comes on, Moen Ali, Joe Root, Moen's finger is clearly sore so it's not going to be easy for Moen but when the spinner comes on, I can't see having all the fielders up as the right option. You've got to go in-out, got to give a little bit of protection," he remarked.
Incidentally, Moeen Ali is dealing with a finger injury after bowling 33 overs and conceding 147 runs in the first innings of his Test comeback.
Despite struggling with the injury, the 36-year-old has bowled seven overs thus far in the second innings without picking up a wicket.
With the wicket progressively assisting spin, evidenced by Nathan Lyon picking up eight wickets in the match, Ali's role and the fields set for him on Day 5 could be pivotal to the outcome.
"Is it all about entertainment or is it about winning" - Micheal Vaughan
Michael Vaughan also expressed his intrigue over how the home team would approach the final day of the first Ashes Test.
While all the pre-series hype was centered around England's 'Bazball' approach and the willingness to play an entertaining brand of cricket with imaginative fields, Vaughan wants the team to do away with it for the benefit of going one up in the Ashes.
"It is about entertainment but I am intrigued on Day 5 - Is it all about entertainment or is it about winning. My belief is tomorrow forget all the entertainment, forget all the funky fields if you don't need them, win the game of cricket and go 1-0 up in the Ashes," he continued.
England's resurgence in Test cricket over the past year has been built around trying to be unique with bat and on the field, resulting in the side winning 11 of their last 13 games.
However, with the first Test tantalizingly poised, It could be worthwhile to see if England continue with a similar style or resort to conventional tactics.
Heading into Day 5, Australia are 107/3 with first innings centurion Usman Khawaja and night watchman Scott Boland at the crease, requiring a further 174 for victory.