Michael Vaughan criticises England's over-reliance on fast bowlers

Following England's elimination in the group stage of the Champions Trophy, former captain Michael Vaughan has questioned the team's approach, suggesting that an over-reliance on purely fast bowlers was a key factor in their failure. In a must-win match against Afghanistan, England lost by 8 runs, preventing them from advancing.

The Jos Buttler-led team fielded three bowlers capable of speeds up to 90 mph – Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Jamie Overton, alongside only one frontline spin bowler, Adil Rashid. Afghanistan scored 113 runs in the final 10 overs of the match, ultimately winning with a total of 325-7, with fast bowlers delivering six of those overs.

Vaughan criticized England's diminished focus on white-ball cricket since winning the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup. He believes the team has been a "shambles" in terms of selection and tactics, and that the excessive pursuit of fast bowlers is at the heart of their struggles. Vaughan stated: "No left-arm seamers, no left-arm spinners, no left-hand batters, we just seem to be completely obsessed with pace."

Vaughan added: "I don't know who has made the decision that everything in white-ball cricket is about pace. If you ask most batters around the world, of course no one wants to face 90 miles an hour, but if there is one place you would face 90 miles an hour, it is on the sub-continent." He pointed out that England's over-reliance on pace against India and other teams in the Champions Trophy allowed batsmen to hit the ball in all directions.

Vaughan recalled England's past successes relying on medium-fast bowlers rather than purely fast bowlers, stating: "Go back to the 2019 World Cup final, different conditions I appreciate, but Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett got 6-79 between them bowling around 82-84 miles an hour." He further noted England's recent obsession with finding 90 mph bowlers, citing the example of young bowler Sonny Baker, who earned a central contract during an England Lions tour of Australia due to his pace reaching 90 mph, while Essex's Sam Cook, despite taking 311 wickets at an average of 19 in county cricket with speeds of 82 mph, failed to secure a contract.

Vaughan concluded: "The England management have clearly made a decision that it is all about pace. In my time watching cricket, playing cricket and being involved in England cricket, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have been our two greatest bowlers. They haven't bowled at 90 miles an hour."