Former England captain and renowned cricket pundit Michael Vaughan warned the English team ahead of their next month's Test series against Pakistan, as he is expecting a “ripper” of a contest between the two sides in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship matches.
Recently, England defeated the West Indies in a three-match Test series to clinch the Wisden Trophy with 2-1 series win playing in different COVID-19 situations following a lengthy break due to the pandemic.
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However, despite the massive win in the recent Test series, Vaughan believes that England should not play Pakistan, like, they played in the first Test against the West Indies since the Asian side is a much better team than the Caribbean in the format and they can shock the hosts in the upcoming three-match Test series.
The former captain, though, insisted that he isn’t disregarding the West Indies, but claims Pakistan is a strong team in the longest format of the game and England should ready for a tough fight while pointing out the tourists have some world-class batters who can challenge the English attack.
Vaughan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “From an England perspective, it is a good step up. I am not disregarding the West Indies at all, but Pakistan is a better Test match team than the West Indies.”
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He further added, “So, I am really looking forward to that series. It should be a ripper. Pakistan could come here and shock the England team if the English side play like they did in the first Test against West Indies at Southampton. Babar Azam and Azhar (Ali) are two right-hand batsmen of high quality, who know how to play in England conditions. If Pakistan bats first and I am sure that is their plan and get scores on the board, they will really challenge this England side.”
Noteworthy, the three-match Test series he series will be held behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment from 5 August at the Old Trafford in Manchester, followed by two Test at Ageas Bowl, Southampton on 13 August and 21 August respectively.
The two teams will also play three T20Is at a single venue in Manchester on 28, 30 August and 1 September respectively.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
