England plays Test cricket on Saturdays as they are playing for a club team: Robert Vaughan

When they play Australia in a highly anticipated Ashes series starting in June later this year, the Ben Stokes-led England Test team will face their hardest test yet. Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, has supported the red-ball team for victory against the Australians despite concerns over England’s preparations for the high-profile Test series.

Since the renowned Test series against Australia will take place later this year, the English squad has drawn criticism for their lack of participation in matches versus county sides. The Three Lions, who were humiliated by the Australians Down Under last year, are out for vengeance this time around after making progress under Brendon McCullum’s leadership.

Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, has refuted the idea that the Test team is underprepared and claims that Ben Stokes’ team is preparing independently and having excellent success doing so. In contrast to the traditional method of doing things, Vaughan indicated that the team’s casual attitude is greatly enhancing their success.

This England team is tearing up the coaching manual and declaring that they will no longer follow it. I’m proud of them for it. How often have you heard players claim that the daily grind of trying to deliver has left their minds frazzled? Yet this England team plays Test cricket on a Saturday like they are playing for a club team. You show up and enjoy yourself. The most difficult mentality to adopt is that. They will succeed if they remain committed to it, Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

Problems can arise from over-preparing: Vaughan
The former cricketer emphasized his point further by saying that intense preparation and practice matches could exhaust the players even before the main series begins. Instead of engaging in practice matches, it is preferable to prepare for a high-profile series with a calm mindset. It’s important to note that the Australians won’t play any tour games before to the Test series either.

“People need to realize that playing lots of county matches in the weeks leading up to a series is not what international cricket is about. It has to do with the brain and psyche. Your mind must be liberated in order to be calm enough to handle the demands and pressures of international cricket and to show up eager to play on game day. Too much preparation might be dangerous because the more you do something, the more exhausted you can become from it,” he said.