England has once again faced criticism from former captain Michael Vaughan, who labeled their top-order batters’ performance as “absolute stupidity” after losing quick wickets in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
On day two of the test, England took control after dismissing Australia for 416 in the morning session. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett played superbly, setting a strong foundation for the middle order.
Crawley and Duckett narrowly missed their respective milestones, scoring 48 and 98. Despite their dismissals, England was still in a commanding position at 2-188.
However, the turning point came when Nathan Lyon left the field with a suspected calf injury, weakening Australia’s bowling attack. Taking advantage of the situation, Australian captain Pat Cummins decided to employ the short ball tactic, which proved effective in getting wickets. Ollie Pope fell for 42, while Duckett’s innings ended just short of a century. Joe Root was the last wicket to fall on day two, scoring only 10 runs. Overall, England lost three wickets for 90 runs.
Vaughan criticized England’s approach, saying they mixed entertainment with stupidity. He praised the team’s initial batting display, highlighting their proper cricket strokes, balance, and scoring options. However, he argued that England’s decision to play aggressively against the short ball was a poor strategy and allowed Australia to come back into the game.
Despite his earlier criticism of England’s attitude on day one, Vaughan acknowledged Australia’s improved intensity on day two. He expressed concern over England’s brain explosion towards the end of the day, as it allowed Australia to regain momentum.
Duckett, however, had no regrets about taking on the short ball and defended England’s positive approach. He emphasized that the team has been playing positive cricket for the past year and sees no reason to change their strategy. Duckett also expressed confidence in England’s position in the match, hoping to narrow the gap with Australia and even take the lead.
Heading into day three, England trails Australia by 138 runs with six wickets remaining.
For more updates on the Ashes and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter.
Denial of responsibility! SamacharCentrl is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
