Michael Vaughan has already made England feelings clear after huge Ash | Cricket | Sport

Michael Vaughan previously warned that England’s Test cricketers snubbing the day-night tour match was “stupid”. The 51-year-old claimed that it would be good practice for some of Ben Stokes’ side to get used to the pink ball after losing the opening Ashes match in a humiliating two-day defeat. The hosts comfortably dispatched the visitors on day two, thanks to Travis Head’s match-winning 123, which guided the Aussies to an eight-wicket victory.

As a result of the disastrous two days for Bazball, England’s first-teamers were posed with the opportunity to have an 11-day break or play in the Canberra tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day, day-night encounter. Vaughan viewed the chance to play in the capital as ideal preparation for the second Test in Brisbane, which will be a day-night match.

BBC Sport have reported that no players from the first Test have been asked to play in Canberra, with players travelling to Brisbane on Wednesday, but there is no scheduled training until Monday, with the possibility of an extra session on Sunday. Instead, Josh Tongue, Matthew Potts and Jacob Bethell will join the Lions squad after they were not involved in the first Test.

Inquests have been ongoing surrounding England’s approach to the Test matches Down Under after amassing 336 runs in their opening two innings. Mitchell Starc took 7-58 in the first innings to rifle through the England batting order, with Harry Brook top-scoring with 52. But Ben Stokes inspired a superb fightback as England claimed nine wickets before the close of play on day one.

The final wicket was taken in the morning session, but England couldn’t capitalise on the advantage. Scott Boland claimed four wickets for 33 runs, while Starc completed his 10-wicket haul in the first Test, consigning England to 164 and a lead of 205. Head dismantled England’s bowling attack to claim the second-fastest Ashes hundred of all time, reaching his ton in just 69 balls.

Speaking after the defeat in Perth, Vaughan felt that the two-day tour match in the Australian capital was the ideal opportunity for the England side to earn practice with the pink ball after the first-test annihilation. He said: “Well, they’ve got three days to get on the [golf] course. 

“No doubt they’ll take that! I just hope they’re sensible, there’s a two-day game in Canberra, a day-night game with the pink ball, if England don’t think that is good preparation to go play a pink ball game against Starc and co in Brisbane…

“If they don’t play that two-day game on the back of losing here in two days, I know the plan is to play the Lions, but if this England side don’t think it’s good preparation to play a pink ball game they’re absolutely stupid. I’m not unreasonable and I’m not a dinosaur to suggest that England should play a pink ball game, it’s two days, not four, two days in Canberra. 

“Go play those two days, get a view of the pink ball under the lights, it might just give them a chance of coming back. If they go and play golf for seven or eight days, go on the beaches, they can do that over the course of the next few days. They’ve got three days off that they didn’t think they would have, make sure they go and play that pink ball. It’s preparation, go and play cricket.”