Former England skipper Michael Vaughan wasn’t impressed with the way the Australian cricket team batted in the ongoing final Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval. Slamming the batting approach of the Australian batters, Vaughan admitted that it was the ‘worst’ that he had ever seen from the tourists.
Despite their lead in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series with a 2-1 score, Australia’s batting in the final Test match was extremely cautious, especially during the first session. Resuming the day on 61-1, Australia could only manage 54 runs in the first session. After 47 overs, The Pat Cummins-led side was 96 for 2, and 21 of these runs came off byes and leg byes. Only 75 runs had come off the bat.
Michael Vaughan Slams Australia’s Batting Approach
Speaking on Test Match Special, Michael Vaughan was surprised by Australia’s uncharacteristic lack of aggression since the Pat Cummins-led side has always looked fearless in their approach in the past. Vaughan expressed his dismay at Australia’s passive approach. He stated that the team failed to put pressure on the England bowlers. Vaughan said:
“They are taking home the urn, but I’ve never seen Australia play with so much fear. They are usually so aggressive and try to take the game forward. They have just sat in to bat a long period of time without remembering you have to put a bit of pressure on the bowlers.”
He added: “This morning I thought it was the worst I’ve ever seen Australia bat in my time watching them. They never play like that.”
While the Australian opener Usman Khawaja played a slow innings, taking 157 balls to amass 47 runs during a partnership that could only contribute 42 runs in 26 overs. On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne struggled to get going on Day 2 as he crawled his way to 9 runs off 82 deliveries.
Vaughan also praised England’s aggressive style of play. The Ben Stokes-led side was bowled out for 283 runs on the first day in just 54.4 overs. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes and Co. aim to level the five-Test series as they trail by 2-1 in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series.
