Former England captain Michael Vaughan has voiced significant concerns for Ben Stokes’ side, predicting Australia will only grow stronger as preparations intensify for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
England suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat inside two days in Perth, leaving them with a formidable task to regroup for the day/night encounter at the Gabba, which commences on Thursday.
Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, remains sidelined with an ongoing back issue, with Steve Smith poised to lead an unchanged squad.
However, Vaughan, who famously led England to Ashes glory in 2005, believes the tourists are yet to face Australia at their best.
"England had the best team they could’ve picked for the conditions in Perth, whereas it wasn’t Australia’s best team. My worry for England is that Australia will get better," Vaughan stated on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show.
He painted a daunting picture of a full-strength Australian XI: "Say Travis Head is the opening batter and Josh Inglis comes at five, (Cameron) Green at six, Alex Carey at seven… They may not play the spinner with the pink ball, so they may end up with (Beau) Webster at eight, (Pat) Cummins at nine if he comes back, (Mitchell) Starc at 10 and (Scott) Boland 11, (so) you are looking at Australia thinking, ‘How the f*** do you beat that?'"
Vaughan also criticised England’s decision to forgo a pink-ball practice match in Canberra, suggesting it was a missed opportunity for crucial preparation.
He drew a sharp analogy: "It is like if Tiger Woods goes to the Masters and says he has prepared by going on the crazy golf and got a couple of shots through the windmill and ‘I’m ready’. It is similar."
He questioned the professionalism of the approach, adding: "Am I so old school to suggest that by playing a game of pink-ball cricket to prepare yourselves to play a pink-ball game is professionalism?"
Vaughan concluded with a stark warning that several players could face pink-ball cricket for the first time in their careers at the Gabba, which he deemed unacceptable.
