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'I'm fan of Stokes, McCullum but...': Ex-England captain furious at 'completely wrong' short-ball ploy against Bumrah
The short-ball tactic allowed Shami and Bumrah to swing at the ball without fear of needing to protect the stumps, succeeding in hooking and pulling the ball to the boundary on several occasions.
Former captain Michael Vaughan has expressed his bewilderment at England's bowling plans against India's tail, allowing the opposition to add nearly 50 runs in the ongoing fifth Test at Edgbaston. This included a blitz of an innings by Jasprit Bumrah, who scored 31*(16), and an over by Stuart Broad which went for 35 runs — a new world record. (India vs England Live Score, 5th Test Day 3)
Vaughan lambasted England's bowlers and their tactics, which included bowling short to the Indian tailenders – a decision which proved to be ineffective and expensive. It was similar to the bowling at Lord's in the second Test of this series last August where Mohammed Shami and Bumrah combined to extend India's lead with a partnership worth 89 runs.
"England got it completely wrong in the morning. I am a massive fan of Ben Stokes and Baz (Brendon) McCullum," said Vaughan on Cricbuzz's post-stumps show. "I like inventive, creative, and out-of-the-box thinking. But that comes when the pitch is flat and the conditions aren’t quite in your favor.”
The short-ball tactic allowed Shami and Bumrah to swing at the ball without fear of needing to protect the stumps, succeeding in hooking and pulling the ball to the boundary on several occasions. This stood true at Lord's, and again on Day 2 at Edgbaston.
"At Edgbaston, the clouds were around. You just had to hit the top of off stump. You’ve got Broad and James Anderson, two of the greats of the game, bowling to Jasprit Bumrah, who can bat just a little bit," said Vaughan. Bumrah's over against Broad was all the more impressive because it was the third over after the second new ball was taken, and Vaughan was shocked that the England bowlers did not take advantage of a brand new Duke's ball in their hands.
"They decide to go short with all the field spread out. It was very similar to what happened at Lord’s last year. I can’t believe they haven’t learnt from what happened at Lord’s," concluded Vaughan.
The runs added in the morning session were crucial for Bumrah, leading his country for the first time in this Test match. Following Jadeja's dismissal, it was up to him to bring India close to 400 for an advantage and the momentum — and thanks to England's poor bowling, he was able to do that, and then some.
India would then take to the field in rain-affected afternoon and evening sessions, making most of the overcast conditions by taking 5 English wickets for just 84 runs, in just 27 overs. They will take to the field on day 3 with hopes of wrapping up the English batting quickly, and set themselves on the right path to win the final Test.
