Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan strongly criticized Ollie Pope’s team after their shocking defeat to Sri Lanka in the third Test on Monday. Sri Lanka, in impressive form, secured their first Test victory on English soil in over a decade, thoroughly outplaying England. Vaughan accused England of disrespecting both Test cricket and Sri Lanka with their approach to the match. He noted that England deviated from their usual aggressive “Bazball” style after winning the first two Tests, allowing Sri Lanka to capitalize on their complacency.
“I felt they disrespected Test cricket and Sri Lanka in the third Test by being over-aggressive with both bat and field placements,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
He also remarked that England has a tendency to become complacent after success, pointing to instances earlier in the Ashes and in Rajkot this year. Vaughan warned that this loss should serve as a wake-up call ahead of tougher Tests in 2025.
“This type of cricket won’t help them against strong teams like Australia or India,” Vaughan stated.
Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka led his team to a commanding eight-wicket win at The Oval, with a stunning unbeaten century. Chasing a target of 219, Sri Lanka reached the total for the loss of two wickets before lunch on the fourth day, with Nissanka (127 not out) and Angelo Mathews (32 not out) in a solid partnership of 111.
This victory marked Sri Lanka’s fourth Test win in England and their first since their 2014 success at Headingley. England, however, secured the three-match series 2-1 with victories at Old Trafford and Lord’s. Despite this, their defeat in the final match prevented them from achieving a first home series clean sweep since 2004, when Michael Vaughan led England to seven consecutive wins.