Michael Vaughan Slams England's Team Selection: 'If It Was Easy, Anyone...'
News18.com
Last Updated: August 02, 2025, 13:52 IST
Michael Vaughan (AP Photo)
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has slammed Brendon McCullum and the team's decision to pick Jacob Bethell for the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Vaughan said England were throwing undercooked players into the 'hotbed of international cricket', thinking it was 'easy'. He believes that it'll only end up hurting Bethell and other such cricketers' careers in the long term.
Bethell had played only two Tests before coming in as Ben Stokes' replacement at the Oval. Out of his last ten matches, only one was a First-Class game, against Somerset in the County Championship Division 1 in June. Overall, known more as a white-ball talent, Bethell has played 24 First-Class matches, scoring 1030 runs at 28.61 and picking 12 wickets at 70. At the Oval, he was outfoxed to an LBW by a Mohammed Siraj yorker for 6 (14).
'It has been an epic. It really has been a brilliant series, and I think this England side, on this kind of pitch, I like the way that they played today," Vaughan told the BBC after the second day's play.
'The only thing I say is in terms of their selection, they have picked players who have been playing no cricket. And to throw them into this hotbed of international cricket in front of this amount of people, with so many more watching, not just here but on TV screens around the world, it isn't an easy game. If it was that easy, anyone could play Test match cricket. If you're throwing a 21-year-old into this situation on the back of one first-class match in our summer, I find that absolutely extraordinary. I don't think you're giving a kid the best chance of succeeding at this level," he added.
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Bethell was only one of several changes England made for the match. They also brought back Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue into the team. While Atkinson was recovering from an injury for the first four Tests, and Tongue was already with the squad, Overton came off six straight games with Surrey.
Stumps were called when India were 75/2, ahead by 52 runs in the Test. view comments News cricket Michael Vaughan Slams England's Team Selection: 'If It Was Easy, Anyone...' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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