"England did expose some cracks" - Michael Vaughan points out Australia's vulnerabilities ahead of 3rd Ashes Test
Despite a 43-run loss in the second Ashes Test at Lord's, former England skipper Michael Vaughan reckons Ben Stokes and co. have exposed some chinks in Australia's armour. Vaughan believes England can use Australia's short-ball vulnerabilities in the remaining Tests.
Australia struggled against short-pitched deliveries in the second innings of the Lord's Test as batters fell trying to hook, pull, and fend it. Even set batters like Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith fell trying to hit them for boundaries.
In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan stated that England did expose some of Australia's vulnerabilities but bemoaned not batting for long in the first innings while having the chance to put the game beyond the tourists' reach.
"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."
The 48-year-old added:
"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."
Australia used similar tactics as their gameplan in England's first innings at Lord's, sparking a collapse from 278-4 to 325 all out. As a result, the hosts conceded a 91-run lead.
"There’s also been too many dropped catches and sloppiness in the field" - Michael Vaughan
Vaughan also pointed out that England have been equally sloppy on the field, evident by the 74 extras given away at Lord's.
"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."
The 2005 Ashes-winning captain underlined the need for the coaching staff to address the mistakes ahead of the remaining three Tests, adding:
"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."
The third Test starts on July 6th at Headingley in Leeds.