Vaughan Criticizes Stokes’ Decisions Before India Series

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has sharply criticized Ben Stokes for his recent choices as England faces a key Test series against India and looks ahead to the Ashes. Vaughan was particularly surprised by Stokes' decision to bowl first at Headingley, attributing India's dominant opening day, with centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, to that call. He also questioned Stokes' lack of match practice before the series and suggested he should have played for the England Lions to regain form after injury. Vaughan stressed that Stokes' contributions as both a batter and bowler are crucial for England's prospects, especially in Australia. He further urged England to shift from merely entertaining cricket to a more ruthless, winning mentality. Vaughan warned that without this change, England could be remembered as entertaining but unsuccessful, similar to the Newcastle United football team of the 1990s.