'Their issues with these conditions run a bit deeper' - Michael Vaughan comes hard at England after semifinal drubbing

The Semi-final 2 of the T20 World Cup 2024 between India and England was welcomed by rain and the threat of the game getting washed out loomed over. After a series of inspections by the officials, the game commenced, with England winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. The India captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged the decision as he revealed the team's willingness to bat first anyway.

England put some pressure with early wickets, but India managed to post a formidable target of 171 runs on the board. In reply, the English batting line-up crumbled like a pack of cards as Indian spinners capitalized on a much slower pitch. As a result, they were bundled out within 17 overs for just 103 runs. Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan has come hard at The Three Lions for opting to bowl on a pitch that was pre-empted to lose its charm.

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“My belief is that England’s issues with these conditions run a bit deeper than just the coach and captain. They made some mistakes. It was a curious decision to bowl at the toss. I am sure the dodgy weather played its part, but on a dry pitch like that against India’s spinners, surely you bat first. Perhaps England were stuck in their ways because they chased so well against India in Adelaide two years ago,” the former cricketer wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

With the bat, ENG lack the power game on slower pitches: Vaughan

Indian spinners, Axar and Kuldeep Yadav picked three wickets each, and the English batters were left reeling. Most of the batters fancied playing cross shots against Kuldeep and handed over their wicket. Skipper Jos Buttler attempted a reverse sweep only to get outfoxed by Axar. Vaughan remarked that the poor athleticism of the team has lacked the outcome of the games. He also added that the English failed to bring their power game on slow pitches.

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“But there are three key issues in these conditions for England. First, they are not a great fielding team, and do not have enough athletes. They had a couple of good moments, but are way below South Africa’s level. With the bat they lack the power-game on slower pitches, and with the ball they are a bit predictable. It’s a bit unfair to compare them to Jasprit Bumrah, the best in the world, but how many of our seamers have slower balls that completely deceive the batsman?,” he added.