Michael Vaughan has fumed that England "clearly like losing" after gifting Australia wickets with "shocking" shots in the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
After Australia posted 416 in their first innings, England made an impressive start in response as they reached 188-1 with both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope well set and spinner Nathan Lyon off the field injured. However, they quickly slipped to 222-4 with Pope, Duckett and Joe Root all getting out to a short ball ploy from Australia on day two.
Although Harry Brook and captain Ben Stokes reached the close of play with England 278-4, they once again lost wickets in a cluster as they were bowled out for 325, adding just 47 runs on day three for the loss of six wickets. And after Brook was dismissed for 50 backing away and splicing a short ball from Mitchell Starc straight to Pat Cummins at cover, Vaughan slammed both Brook and England.
"Shocking shot," he said while commentating for BBC Test Match Special. "England clearly like losing. Yesterday they gifted Australia three wickets. They arrive on day three, the pitch is doing a bit more. To see that wicket and Australia now know they are bowling to the tail.
"Playing expansively and aggressively in the right way, that's fantastic. Seeing Harry Brook play a shot like that, that's not good enough. Starc probably only has one or two overs more, just ride it, just see it out. Pat Cummins can't believe his luck."
Fellow ex-England captain Sir Alastair Cook was also critical of England's failure to capitalise when they were in such a strong position at 188-1 with two set batters and one of Australia's key bowlers injured. "There's a sense of shock around the ground," he said.
"We keep going back to that spell, how precious Test match runs and sessions are. We've all watched enough cricket, when you get in positions, it is so precious and you have to realise how precious that is and treasure it."
Brook's dismissal was one of the most infuriating, with former England skipper Michael Atherton calling it the "wrong side of reckless", and exposes an apparent weakness in his game that legendary opener Geoffrey Boycott warned the Australians would look to target back in February. In a column for the Telegraph, Boycott branded Brook an 'instinctive hooker' and warned it could be his downfall against Australia's "extra pace and quality".
"I feel this summer the Australians will challenge him with the short ball," he explained. "He instinctively hooks up and with the extra pace and quality in their seamers hooking up can be a 'getting out' shot. If he can hit it for six every time then great, don't change, but that is expecting a lot.
"He got out hooking in his first Test match at the Oval, to South Africa's Marco Jansen caught at fine leg and Jansen is only lively fast medium. Against New Zealand he played on hooking Neil Wagner, who has no great pace any more. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are faster and even Josh Hazlewood gets awkward bounce."
