(Credit X)

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, raised doubts about Jos Buttler’s choice to bowl first in the second semi-final against India in Guyana. India posted a challenging total of 171 after batting first, which proved too much for England to chase down. Indian spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets each, supported by Jasprit Bumrah who claimed two, dismantling England’s batting lineup.

England collapsed to 103 all out in response, resulting in India’s victory by 68 runs and their qualification for the T20 World Cup final. Vaughan expressed his concerns in his column for the Telegraph, questioning the rationale behind England’s decision to bowl first despite their successful chase against India in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final in Melbourne.

“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,” wrote Vaughan.

The former England captain also addressed a range of concerns regarding the England cricket team following their defeat to India.

“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” added Vaughan.

Continuing in his column, Vaughan criticized England’s decision-making in persisting with the struggling Jonny Bairstow instead of opting for someone like Will Jacks, whose all-round skills could have been more impactful.

“It is not total panic stations as they have enough good cricketers coming through to ensure that remain a competitive white-ball team. They do need a chance, though. Will Jacks was dropped midway through the tournament and Bairstow backed despite looking past his sell-by date and struggles against spin. Jamie Smith needs to play more. They would love a really good left-handed batsman, but I’m not sure who that player is at the moment,” explained Vaughan.

Michael Vaughan urged England to prioritize “cultural decisions” as they prepare for the ICC events in 2026 and 2027. He emphasized the importance of understanding the team’s requirements to succeed in major tournaments.

“I would encourage England to make a cultural decision to look ahead to the World Cups in 2026 and 2027, and the exact skills they are going to need. They will be looking at 30 or more players, and they must decide which of them have the game to thrive in those tournaments” Vaughan concluded saying.

England faced a setback in the group stage with a loss to Australia and narrowly avoided elimination. Victories over Oman and Namibia enabled them to advance to the Super 8s. While they displayed strong cricket during the Super 8s, their vulnerabilities were exposed in the semi-final against India.