The Ashes: Michael Vaughan believes England’s low-key build-up left them unprepared in first Ashes Test

Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes the current side’s low-key build-up to The Ashes left them thoroughly unprepared to confront the conditions they faced in a heavy defeat in Perth. The tourists were bowled out for scores of 172 and 164 inside 68 total overs at Optus Stadium before Travis Head’s remarkable fourth-innings hundred led Australia to an eight-wicket win, which they wrapped up inside two days. The result extended England’s winless streak in Australia out to 16 Tests — 14 of which have ended in losses. When they last won an Ashes series on Australian soil in 2010-11, England’s preparations included a pair of three-day games against WA and South Australia and a four-day contest against Australia A. But their build-up to this series saw them play only one three-day game against their own “A” side the England Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth’s eastern suburbs, with many of their players coming directly to their camp from a white-ball series in New Zealand. Vaughan said the nature of the defeat meant the team would have to deal with being “criticised royally”. “Their preparation was their preparation, they’re allowed to prepare however they wish . . . but you get judged on results,” Vaughan told the BBC. “If most of those players look themselves in the mirror, they’ve had a few nets out the back (of Optus Stadium) where the ball’s just bouncing slightly more, they’ve played a game at Lilac Hill when the ball is bouncing here (at ankle height) . . . I’m not too sure you can be prepared if you haven’t played on these kind of surfaces and with the visual of the field. “The majority of England’s batters that came out to bat at the Perth Stadium this week were thinking just one thing — hit the boundaries. It’s just not possible to play that way. “They made huge mistakes in (2023). A real good team who is honest with each other and wants to improve, two years later, should not be making the same mistakes in the first Ashes Test match. It’s exactly what England have done.” Vaughan’s predecessor Nasser Hussain expressed similar sentiments, saying the proceedings in Perth reminded him of when England let dominant positions at Edgbaston and Lord’s slip in the last Ashes series. “They were in such a commanding position at lunch (on day two),” Hussain told Sky Sports. “At that moment, they weren’t smart, they gifted four wickets away by driving on the up in Perth, and that is always dangerous. “It’s not just here today or yesterday. If you think about this England side, they have played so much good cricket under Stokes and McCullum, but their one nemesis at times is when they get ahead in the game, they are not ruthless.” Despite the nature of the result, England coach Brendon McCullum promised his side would be playing the same brand of cricket when the series resumes with a day-night game at the Gabba on December 4. “We’ve got some work to do, no doubt, but one thing we won’t be changing is our blueprint,” McCullum told the BBC post-match. “We’ll stay true to that and we’ll stay tight as a team and as we have done in the past when we’ve lost games, we’ll keep moving forward and make sure that confidence levels when we hit the next game are as high as possible.”