Former England captain Michael Vaughan has called it “amateurish” if England fail to play a pink-ball warm-up match before the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
England suffered a humiliating two-day defeat in the first Test on Saturday, leaving them just 12 days to prepare for the next encounter.
The upcoming Test will be a day-night match with a pink ball, but England are not planning to field their main Test XI in the two-day match against a Prime Minister’s XI on 29 November. Instead, they intend to use the Lions development side.
Immediately after the first Test, England captain Ben Stokes said, “We are trying to give ourselves the best chance to win an Ashes series. We’ll consider whether a couple of players should play that warm-up or whether keeping the team tight is better for morale.”
Vaughan reacted sharply: “It’s amateurish if England don’t use the opportunity to practice with the pink ball. What harm is it to play two competitive days under lights? My approach would be to grab the opportunity and play, giving the team the best chance to adapt.”
England’s preparation has faced scrutiny. Unlike previous tours where multiple warm-ups against Australian state teams were scheduled, England only played a single match against the Lions. The pink-ball match could have offered crucial competitive experience under lights.
Stokes admitted the team felt “shell-shocked” after their defeat. He defended the batting performance, praising Travis Head, who smashed 123 runs off 83 balls to secure Australia’s dominant victory. Meanwhile, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook fell to loose shots as England collapsed from 65-1 to 88-6.