England faced a huge setback after facing an 8-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the third Test match. After performing exceptionally well in the first two matches, England faced a massive setback into the last game. The Sri Lankan side played a dominating game. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticized the England team for their overly aggressive play in the third Test at The Oval.
Vaughan on the Disappointing Note:
After winning the first two matches of the three-match Test series, England took the lead by a 2-0 margin. In both matches, the England side dominated the Sri Lanka side and clinched the wins. On the other hand, Sri Lanka showcased their domination and defeated England by 8 wickets. The England bowlers struggled securing wickets in the second innings.
Michael Vaughan believes the recent defeat will act as a wake-up call for the England team. He feels it will prepare them for more challenging matches ahead and help them address their upcoming challenges. He said, “They (England) have made a habit of becoming a bit complacent after a good period.”
Later he said, “ I felt that they disrespected Test cricket and disrespected Sri Lanka in the third Test by being over-aggressive with both the bat and in their field placings. England have made a habit of becoming a bit complacent after a good period—I think of the start of the Ashes or earlier this year in Rajkot—and I hope it serves as a wake-up call for the tougher Tests that lie in wait in 2025. There is no way they will get away with playing like this against India or Australia.”
Lastly, he added, “For me, the intensity and concentration in the big moments were missing this week. It was all a bit flimsy, cocky even. They took the mickey out of the game. The answer in Test cricket’s hottest moments cannot always be attack, attack, attack.”
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Criticizing Their Over Aggressive Approach:
Vaughan believes England can’t rely on just one strategy. This loss marks England’s fourth Test defeat to Sri Lanka at home and their first at Kennington Oval since 1998. He criticized the team’s over-aggressive field settings, which, he feels, put the bowlers at a disadvantage.
He said, “I felt England’s bowling was fine this week, but I thought the over-aggressive fields they went for did the bowlers a disservice and put them on the back foot immediately. They went out with an idea to be super-aggressive, but this wasn’t the match or pitch for that.”
Later he added, “This was a top-of-off pitch, two or three slips and a gully, with extra cover in. They had six slips, short leg and leg slip. It was almost as if they had 650 on the board, but they had half of that.”
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