Michael Vaughan has said that Sir Andrew Strauss should be the ideal candidate to take charge of the England and Wales Cricket Board and revive Test cricket.
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The England cricket team is in the midst of a massive churn in the aftermath of the Ashes debacle. England lost their 13th Test in 15 matches Down Under since 2013/14. Ever since winning a Test series in Australia after 24 years in 2010/11, England has been whitewashed 5-0 in 2013/14. They have then lost the 2017/18 and 2021/22 series 4-0. The recent series could have been 5-0. But rain and bad weather rescued England even when they were nine wickets down.
The debacle, labeled as ‘England’s Ashes Thrashes’, has led to major questions over the County system in England. The nature of the pitches and the talent depth in England cricket has been highlighted. Many analysts stated that both Joe Root and Chris Silverwood should go. There have been calls to change the management of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison has claimed that the 4-0 loss calls for a reset. Ashley Giles has been tasked to conduct a review into the defeat. But, Michael Vaughan has written that THIS new candidate should be the ideal representative to revive England’s Test fortunes.
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Andrew Strauss, under whom England won in Australia and pushed England to the No.1 rank in Tests in 2012, played a big role in England’s revival. He played 100 Tests and scored 18 hundreds as he formed a solid opening bat with Alastair Cook. Strauss is currently attending meetings in a non-voting capacity in the ECB. He is currently the chair of the cricket committee.
Writing in his Column in the Telegraph, Vaughan wrote, “He was here four years ago and, after another 4-0 defeat to Australia. Strauss wrote a report saying we need better pitches, and a different ball in county cricket. Nothing happened, possibly because he left soon after the tour. Strauss would be great as the ECB Chairman.”
Vaughan drew parallels with how England’s ODI and T20I side staged a resurgence in the aftermath of the humiliation of the 2015 ICC World Cup. After being dumped out from the knockout stages, there was a total reset of the England ODI side and that yielded them success in 2019. Vaughan believes three Ashes humiliations Down Under is the line in the sand for the Test team.
“He knows what needs to happen, and that enough is enough. The line in the sand with our white ball cricket was the 2015 World Cup and this is the moment for red ball cricket. Strauss commands respect, and knows exactly what is required. No county chairman would look at Strauss and say: ‘Sorry, I disagree with your views on red ball cricket,” Vaughan said.
