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England suffered a disappointing defeat in the third Test match against Sri Lanka on Monday (Sep 9) leading to questions being raised on the killer instincts of the side. With an opportunity to win the series 3-0, Ollie Pope and Co were beaten by eight wickets at the Oval meaning the hosts pocketed the series 2-1. After the match, former skipper Michael Vaughan lashed out at his team for the defeat and for taking the opposition lightly.

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Vaughan slams England after defeat

"I felt that they disrespected Test cricket, and disrespected Sri Lanka in the third Test by being over-aggressive with both the bat and in their field placings," Vaughan wrote in his column for the Telegraph.

"England have made a habit of becoming a bit complacent after a good period – I think of the start of the Ashes, or earlier this year in Rajkot – and I hope it serves as a wake-up call for the tougher Tests that lie in wait in 2025. There is no way they will get away with playing like this against India or Australia."

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Having won the opening two matches in Manchester and Lord’s, England were brought to its knees after they were bowled out for 156, despite having a first-innings lead. Pope’s 154 went in vain as Sri Lanka pulled out a great comeback in the second innings to win the Oval contest. Pathum Nissanka scored 127 off 124 as he led from the front to help Sri Lanka win the contest.

On the other hand, England yet again dropped valuable points in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as they now sit sixth. After 16 matches in the current WTC cycle, England need a flawless run to reach the final in June 2025 which will be played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

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England are next in action against Australia in the white-ball series with Jos Buttler missing out due to injury.