‘No impact’: Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan slams Australian cricketers after Gabba defeat

The Ashes mind games have begun, with a former England skipper giving a scathing assessment of Australia’s cricketers after the Gabba miracle.

Nathan Lyon of Australia looks frustrated.

The Ashes mind games have seemingly begun.

Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan has given a scathing assessment of the Australian cricket team following Tuesday’s miracle at the Gabba.

Tim Paine’s men were unable to topple a depleted Indian side on home soil, and unlike two years ago, Steve Smith and David Warner were at their disposal.

Australia has subsequently lost its coveted No. 1 Test ranking and is in danger of missing the inaugural World Test Championship final.

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There are question marks lingering over most of the Australian starting XI. Why couldn’t Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon get the job done on day five? Has Matthew Wade played his last Test match? Is Tim Paine still the best candidate for Australian Test captain?

Vaughan believes England cricketers will be more than encouraged by the outcome of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 82-Test veteran claimed the Australians are now at their most vulnerable since the 2010/11 summer, and only have 10 months to recover in time for the Ashes.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan.

“There is something not quite right with Australia at the moment,” Vaughan wrote in a column for the UK Telegraph.

“The batting – aside from Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne – has a soft centre, the pace bowling attack, rightly hailed as being the world’s best a few weeks ago, lacked penetration at crucial moments in the last three Tests against India, and Nathan Lyon had no impact at all.”

Vaughan also took aim at the Australian skipper, whose leadership has come under scrutiny for the first time since he took over the role in March 2018.

Although he was named Player of the Match in Adelaide, Paine’s glovework was below its best in Sydney, while his decision-making under pressure remains a genuine concern – most notably evident at Headingley 2019 and Brisbane 2021.

“It will not help Paine’s cause that Australia have once again lost a close game – something they have made a habit of in recent years,” Vaughan wrote.

“I always feel that captains should be judged on how they marshal a tight match, rather than how they lead in an easy victory, and Paine is making some strange calls.”

Australian captain Tim Paine.

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England has not won a Test match on Australian soil since January 2011, and their current starting XI arguably looks more vulnerable on paper.

But now that the Gabba fortress has been breached, the 2021/22 Ashes series could prove to be another classic.

“It’s always nice to see people in opposition teams under pressure,” England coach Chris Silverwood said on Tuesday.

“Our boys back in the hotel were taking an interest and I think most of them appeared for lunch after India had won. So they were all staying and watching.”