Michael Vaughan's Blog, page 2

Adil Rashid's decision to ditch first-class cricket is strange - a Test recall wasn't out of the question

A dil Rashid���s decision to concentrate on one-day cricket would be understandable if he had an IPL deal, but without that it is a strange move.

This Australia tour has neatly summed up where England's priorities lie at the moment

T his Australia tour has neatly summed up the state of English cricket. The Tests were disappointing but the white-ball team are strong and that reflects where priorities lie at the moment.

Ashes defeat can be the making of Joe Root's England captaincy

T his Ashes defeat will be the making of Joe Root if he uses the experience in the right way. He has to reflect on the past seven weeks and see it as the moment he learned about captaincy, the characters in his own team and how he wants to...

It's scandalous that England have no full-time spin coach - Moeen Ali is bowling the same ball again and again

I t staggers me that England do not have a full time spin bowling coach. It is scandalous when you think how desperate England are to unearth a spin bowler that they do not have a specialist coach for that area but do have them for batting, fielding and fast...

What was Trevor Bayliss thinking? It was a stupid decision to let Jonny Bairstow risk his wicket

T revor Bayliss should have told Jonny Bairstow to take his pads off and sent Mason Crane out as nightwatchman.

England must find a frontline spinner - if Mason Crane does not play in Sydney then he is one of the most ridiculous selections of all time

H ow do England go forward from this tour? They played well in Melbourne with a lot of character and a few individuals showed a lot of drive and determination. It was great to see the team���s pride coming through.

England must be brave and make changes for Melbourne - it is time to ruffle feathers

T he old school English cricket view will be that you cannot give young kids a debut at the MCG on Boxing Day in front of 90,000 fans. Some will say it would be too much to expect from Mason Crane or Tom Curran.

Joe Root now needs to build the team he wants - and should start by dropping Stuart Broad

T his is Joe Root���s chance to build his own team from the wreckage of an Ashes tour that has gone wrong both on and off the field .

The ECB must start planning now so a day like this does not happen again

F or the past couple of years England have put a lot of their energy and focus on winning the 2019 World Cup.

Joe Root will be in a lonely place, but he must pick himself up and motivate England now

T he trick of captaincy is to convince the team to play your way and it looks like Joe Root has a job on his hands to persuade the England players to follow his lead.