Michael Vaughan struggled to comprehend England’s approach in the second innings of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. After establishing a crucial 62-run lead, the hosts squandered their advantage by being bowled out for a mere 156 on Day 3 of the series finale.
Sri Lanka is on the verge of avoiding a whitewash and securing their first Test victory on English soil since 2014, having ended Day 3 at 94-1 in pursuit of a 219-run target. Michael Vaughan expressed his confusion over England’s tactics and questioned Dan Lawrence’s aggressive innings.
“I’ve got no clue what England were doing with the bat – Dan Lawrence, I suppose it was his last chance saloon, maybe he was told to go out and swing. It was too expansive,” Vaughan remarked on BBC’s Test Match Special.
England’s similar collapse at Lord’s
England’s collapse against Australia during the second Test at Lord’s in the 2023 Ashes had also drawn similar reactions from fans. On that occasion they fell from 208-2 to 325 all out, allowing Australia to gain a crucial lead and ultimately lose the match by 43 runs.
“We’re not always going to get it right and today was one of those days we didn’t get it right,” Paul Collingwood commented on England’s collapse.
“It certainly hasn’t been one of our better days of Test cricket this year. We’ll always try to knock bowlers off their lengths and find a positive way to apply pressure on the opposition, and sometimes it doesn’t work. It’s Test cricket, you’ve got good players out there and they find ways to put you under pressure. We’re not always going to get it right and today was one of those days we didn’t get it right,” Collingwood stated at the end of the day’s play at The Oval.
The hosts now face a significant challenge to achieve an unlikely victory, with the pace quartet expected to make early breakthroughs, aided by favorable weather conditions.
