Ashes 2023: Michael Vaughan points out hosts' BLUNDER at Edgbaston, says 'England just didn’t do that'

Former England captain and commentator Michael Vaughan has pointed out his team’s biggest blunder after they suffered a two-wicket defeat in the first Ashes Test on Tuesday, June 20. Despite needing two wickets in the final hour of the final session on Day 5, England couldn't apply the finishing touches which ultimately cost them the contest. According to Vaughan, the hosts lacked killer instinct when they needed itthe most but still enjoyed the Bazball stuff despite his team ending on the wrong side of the result.

Vaughan points out the blunder

“I think both teams will change slightly at Lord’s. I think the Aussies won’t go as expansive in the first innings and spread the field. They’ll squeeze a bit more. I’ll be amazed if England don’t play just that little bit (cautiously). Bazball, I love. I love the energy and what it’s brought. It’s now about winning and being that little bit smarter. When you’ve got an Australian team on the back foot, you’ve got to drive it down and nail them down even more. England just didn’t do that," Vaughan said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

England fall short of target

Needing two wickets to win in the hour of the contest, Australia’s Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put an unbeaten stand of 55 runs for the ninth wicket to take their team home. The Aussies were left in a vulnerable state at one stage as they were 227/8, while England sat in the driver'sseat. The nail-biting contest was then settled by resolute innings from Cummins (unbeaten 44) and Lyon (unbeaten 16) which helped Australia achieve a famous win.

The contest turned down the clock from 2005 when Australia had narrowly lost the Edgbaston contest by two runs in another thriller. The defeat for the hosts was also their third since Ben Stokes took over the reins in June 2022.

The two teams will now meet in the second Ashes Test on Wednesday, June 28 at Lord’s where the hosts will look to bounce back. Englandhave not won the Ashes since 2015 and will look to end the drought, while the Aussies too will be looking to clinch another series. Pat Cummins’ men will try to become the first team since 2011 to win the Ashes away from home which will also see them win their first Ashes on English soil since 2001.

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