Michael Vaughan advises ECB not to play Stuart Broad and James Anderson together for workload management

England managed to win the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2019 by 135 runs and draw the series 2-2. The home team had a good chance of winning the series after their amazing win in the third Test at Headingley in Leeds when Ben Stokes played that magical knock of 135* to take the Brits home while chasing 359 runs and one wicket in hand.

In the bowling side, Jofra Archer was the find for the Three Lions, if that can be said. He picked 22 wickets with two five-wickets hauls and a best bowling performance of 6/45. This was of utmost importance, as England had lost their major weapon in James Anderson, who played just one Test at the Edgbaston and had to go off after bowling 4 overs due to his right calf injury leaving Stuart Broad to shepherd a young bowling attack.

Vaughan says that Broad and Anderson must not play together in future

Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been perhaps the greatest bowling partnerships in the modern era of cricket with Broad picking 467 Test wickets and Anderson claiming 575 Test victims, the most by any England bowler in history. However, if former captain Michael Vaughan’s advice is taken by England and Wales Cricket Board, we might not see them bowling together in the future.

“I don’t think it’s right that both of them play now. It might be that Broad plays one series and Anderson plays one series. They are not going to like it, but they are at that stage of their careers where England are going to have to manage the combination very smartly,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by Times Now. It should be noted that Broad is 33 years old and Anderson is 37 years old, though he has shown the intent of playing Tests till he is 40.

Broad, with 23 wickets at an average of 26.65, was England’s most successful bowler in the five-match Ashes series. Along with Archer, he formed a formidable opening bowling pair and even vice-captain Stokes remarked that Archer will be the key to England winning the Ashes in Australia. England will now travel to New Zealand for five T20Is and two Test matches in late October.

Watch: 5 Players who should’ve retired after 2019 World Cup but didn’t