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Several English cricketers departed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 prematurely to fulfill their obligations to the national team in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, where they would face Pakistan.
Several members of the England cricket squad, including captain Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks, and Reece Topley, departed from their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 commitments midway to fulfill their national duties ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against Pakistan. Consequently, they had to leave their IPL teams just as the playoffs were looming.
Despite England’s victory in the second T20I against Pakistan in Birmingham by 23 runs, the series faced an early hiccup with the first T20I being abandoned due to rain. Nonetheless, former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed the opinion that some of these players might have gained more valuable experience by remaining in the intense competitive environment of the IPL playoffs rather than participating in the Pakistan series.
“I think you’re going to miss the trick by sending all their players home. You know, I think Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Jos Butler, in particular, playing in the IPL in the eliminators, pressure, crowd, expectation. I would argue that playing here is better preparation than playing a T20 game against Pakistan,” Vaughan said on ‘The Club Prairie Fire’ podcast.
Players are under a huge amount of pressure from fans, owners, and social media: Michael Vaughan
Vaughan clarified that his stance isn’t about advocating for players to prioritize franchise commitments over national duty. Instead, he emphasized the unique opportunity presented by the IPL playoffs, where players experience intense pressure situations that closely simulate those encountered in major international tournaments like the ICC T20 World Cup.
“I’m all for international cricket, but now and again, this tournament in particular, it’s so exposed to pressure. These players are under a huge amount of pressure from fans, owners, and social media. It’s massive. I just felt particularly those two, and Butler, probably not as much, but I still think he could have stayed here. But Will Jacks and Phil Salt, I think they’d have been better prepared staying here playing in the IPL, then going back to head and let’s play a game,” he added.
Despite his opinion on the benefits of staying for the IPL playoffs, the 49-year-old Vaughan supported his compatriots’ decision to return and compete against the Pakistani team. However, English players faced criticism from Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan for departing from the lucrative league midway through.
“If you are going back to represent your country, which England players have done, I think that’s fair enough. They are playing a series against Pakistan. The England players wouldn’t have gone back if it wasn’t for the Pakistan series. The series was on the calendar. With English cricket, the defense of the 50-over World Cup was a poor one by England here in India,” said Vaughan as quoted by India Today.
