Shane Warne, Michael Vaughan, and Mark Waugh bash the England Test cricket team

Recently former cricketers; Michael Vaughan, Shane Warne, and Mark Waugh talked about England’s rest and rotation policy and the team’s batting line-up.

Michael Vaughan while speaking on the Road to the Ashes podcast bashed team England for their bad selection choices and a ‘fragile batting line-up. Vaughan also opined that even with the return of important players in the side, England will find it very hard to win against Team India at home.

Also, Vaughan told that it will be tough for England to defeat Australia in the upcoming Ashes. Michael Vaughan said:

“You, know this series against New Zealand, it’s been dry for the week leading into that first Test at Lords, played no spinner, exactly the same at Edgbaston, didn’t play a spinner, and the batting lineup is fragile, it’s simple as that. Buttler, Stokes and Woakes have come back, yes, they’ll improve the team but unless that batting lineup changes and can learn and understand how to get big scores against good bowling, and not against the second-string Test match standard bowling, I just can’t see how they can compete.

“It’s going to be tough for them to beat India on these shores. But then to go to Australia if they won’t get 450-500 I just can’t see [them being competitive],” said Vaughan.

You can’t come to Australia with Burns and Sibley opening the batting: Mark Waugh

56-year-old Mark Waugh, who scored 8000 Test runs for Australia, described that the current England lineup posses ‘no quality at all. He blasted English openers; Dom Sibley and Rory Burn for their approach while opening in Test cricket. Waugh further added Dom Sibley is not capable of playing Test cricket.

“You know, I am looking at the stats of this England batting lineup, they are all averaging about 30… there’s just no quality there. I don’t know why there’s no depth in batting… Someone like Dom Sibley, he can’t score, you can’t come to Australia with Burns and Sibley opening the batting because they can’t score. He’s not got any shots, Dom Sibley, he’s not a Test player and quite frankly I don’t know how he got to that level. There’s got to be a shortage of players there,” said Waugh.

https://twitter.com/YeshowgoodWeiss/status/1407560601065246723?s=19

The first-ever World Test Champions New Zealand defeated England 1-0 in England. The dependable batting duo of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler were unable to put pressure on Kiwi bowlers and were unable to play big knocks. Adding to it English bowlers performed good and delivered good spells occasionally but failed to dominate Blackcaps batting line-up

All England openers can do is survive – Shane Warne

Legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne also bashed England’s opening pair. Warne anticipated that Sibley and Burns aren’t stroke-makers and they can’t hurt bowlers from starting, due to which immense pressure starts to build on the middle-order batsmen.

“I just don’t know how he can play Test cricket… as a bowler, you worry about batsmen that can hurt you. No one has thought of this. The England middle-order is suffering because all the bowlers that play against England have got their confidence and tails up because they are not getting hurt by Burns and Sibley. They can’t hurt and punish them at any level. All they can do is survive and see off the shine and that’s not good,” said Warne.

So, if Dom Sibley were playing this Williamson (currently 14 from 82) innings… would people say 'he's putting pressure on his partners; he needs to rotate the strike'? I suspect they would.

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) June 22, 2021

The next big challenge England has to face is against India at home. England and India will lock horns for 5 match Test series starting from August 5. After that team, Joe root will start preparations for the marquee Ashes series.