England have been slammed as “amateurish” after their main stars opted to skip a pink-ball tour game despite being crushed by Australia in the first Ashes Test at Perth.
Just three of the squad will join the second-tier England Lions to play a two-day day-night clash against a Prime Minister’s XI this weekend in Canberra.
Only Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue – none of whom played in Perth – will feature despite England’s first Test batting implosions with the likes of Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Harry Brook all flopping.
The rest of the squad will instead head to Brisbane ahead of the second pink-ball Test on December 4.
Former Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan said he was “staggered” by the decision.
“I’m sorry, but it’s amateurish,” he wrote in his column for English broadsheet The Telegraph.
“You have 11 days between Tests, are 1-0 down in the Ashes and have the opportunity to get accustomed to a pink ball they do not play with much, and with which Mitchell Starc is an absolute wizard.
“I can’t get my head around why they all wouldn’t want to just play. What is the downside?”
Australia are masters of pink-ball Tests, winning 13 out of 14 matches under lights, making them strong favourites to go 2-0 up in the series.
Former England quick Jonathan Agnew, now a respected broadcaster, was similarly gobsmacked at why the team would not jump at getting in some pink-ball practice.
“It is a bizarre situation,” he said on the BBC.
“Just because Australia are accustomed to these matches and England are not, it does not mean England cannot win.
“But there is a huge question about whether England would be better prepared playing a game under lights than spending time in the nets in Brisbane.”
England coach Brendon McCullum said in the aftermath of the Perth humiliation that they would not be changing their tactics.
“We’ve got to work out whether that extra cricket is the key, or making sure that camaraderie is tight and morale doesn’t drop,” McCullum said in reference to the Canberra game.
“We’ve just got to work out what the pros and cons of all that are.”
Not everyone thinks England are making a mistake over their preparations.
Former captain Mike Atherton said time in nets at the Gabba, scene of the second Test, was more useful.
“England have booked extra net sessions at the Gabba from Saturday, including under lights, and should benefit from that,” he wrote in The Times.
“There is also a significant difference in heat and humidity in Brisbane compared with Canberra.”