"I've been used to England surprising me for all the wrong reasons" - Michael Vaughan on England Test side's transformation under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum
Former captain Michael Vaughan acknowledged the brilliant transformation of the England Test side orchestrated by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The duo took charge on the back of a set of disappointing results which left the side reeling at the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
In the span of a few weeks, the Stokes-led England swept past New Zealand by a 3-0 margin and are on the cusp of a historic win against India at Edgbaston. The revamped aggressive approach, despite several doubts, has certainly worked for the team so far.
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Admitting that England now have a knack of asserting themselves in matches that were at one point beyond their gasp, Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz:
"I've been used to England, in the last two or three years, surprising me for all the wrong reasons. Collapsing from nowhere, losing games from nowhere, this England side surprised me for all the right reasons."
Vaughan added:
"They come back into games that they really should not."
The last two years saw then-skipper Joe Root often cut a lonely figure with respect to scoring runs. With wins evading them home as well as overseas, the team were in a rut, trying to chop and change to find the right combination without much success.
However, the English side are now on the verge of creating history once again as they are in a strong position to chase a total in excess of 300 once again. The hosts are only 119 runs behind the 378-run target set by India in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston.
"I have to say that India were complacent today with the bat" - Michael Vaughan
India were in firm control of the contest by amassing a 257-run lead at the end of Day 3 with seven wickets in hand. However, the Jasprit Bumrah-led side could only add a little over 100 runs to their overnight score and were bundled out halfway through the penultimate day.
India's lower-middle order could not impose themselves on the English bowling attack and a surging spell by Ben Stokes (4/33) spelled the end.
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Opining that India felt that any total in excess of 350 was enough for the fourth innings, Michael Vaughan said:
"I have to say that India were complacent today with the bat. Handing England a target of 378, was really poor. Brilliant from England with their mentality. I just wonder if India thought, you know, 350 plus was enough."
Vaughan concluded:
"They did not realize that the England side has got a different mindset, a different game plan. India, with the bat in hand, and the ball, and tactically, were very poor."
England did not hide their intentions in pursuit of the mammoth 378-run target set in front of them. Riding high on confidence from their successful chases against New Zealand only a few months back, the hosts are favorites heading into the final day.
This is largely thanks to vital contributions from Alex Lees (56) and Zak Crawley (46), who added 107 runs for the first wicket. Joe Root (76 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (72 not out) then took center stage to leave England on the cusp of a series-leveling victory.