Ashes 2025-26: Michael Vaughan says it would be 'amateurish' if England do not play pink-ball warm-up

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed his disappointment that the team will not be playing in a pink-ball warm-up match before the second Ashes Test. The former cricketer believes it would be "amateurish" of England to skip this opportunity, which could help the team prepare for the conditions they are likely to face in Brisbane.

Vaughan's comments come after England's crushing defeat in the first Test on Saturday, with Australia posting an astonishing 397-6 on a day when Ben Stokes' team struggled to cope with the pink ball. The Australian batsmen, particularly Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, dominated the English bowlers, while Travis Head's century helped Australia build a strong total.

Vaughan thinks that by not playing in the warm-up match, England are missing out on an opportunity to gain valuable experience with the pink ball, which is used in day-night Tests. He suggests that even two days of competitive cricket under lights could help the team improve their skills and give them the best chance of winning the series.

The decision to skip the warm-up match has been criticized by some, who feel it would have given England a chance to prepare for the conditions they are likely to face in Brisbane. Former Australia batter Stuart Law also questioned the merits of sending the Test players to Canberra, citing the difference in conditions between the two venues.

England captain Ben Stokes acknowledged that his team was "shell-shocked" after their defeat on Saturday, but also defended their batting performance, saying that those who had success against the Australian bowlers were able to put pressure on them. However, Stokes also hinted that the team might consider playing some of their top players in the pink-ball warm-up match, depending on how they feel.

Overall, Vaughan's comments highlight the importance of preparation and experience in international cricket, particularly when facing unfamiliar conditions like day-night Tests with a pink ball.
 
I'm low-key bummed that England is skipping the pink-ball warm-up match πŸ€”. I mean, come on! It's like they're saying "oh, we'll just wing it and hope for the best" πŸ’ͺ? Not cool, mate 😐. The pink ball can be super tricky to deal with, especially if you haven't played under lights before πŸŒƒ. Vaughan's right on the money – those two days of competitive cricket could have given England a serious edge πŸ“ˆ.

I'm not surprised Stokes is being cautious, though 😊. You can't just go all-in when you're still reeling from a big loss πŸ’”. But at the same time, you gotta think about giving your top players some game-time and letting them get comfortable with that pink ball 🎯. It's like having a warm-up for your muscles before a marathon – you gotta get your body ready for the challenge πŸ”₯!
 
omg, u think england r just gonna wing it for the ashes? lol no way, that's amateurish! πŸ™„ i mean ben stokes said they were shell-shocked after 1 test, can u imagine what they'd be like in a proper day-night match with pink ball? πŸ˜‚ Vaughan makes a point, 2 days of comp cricket under lights wud def help them get their skills back on track. and honestly, england should b playing that warm-up, it's not like it's a waste of time... idk why they can't see the benefits πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around that pink ball game πŸ˜‚... it's defo not easy for bowlers to get used to. I think Vaughan's right though - those two days of comp would've been super valuable for the lads. They're gonna face some tough conditions in Brisbane and if they don't get a feel for the pink ball, it's gonna be even harder to bounce back from this loss πŸ€•. And yeah, Law makes a good point about the conditions in Canberra being different from Brisbane... that's just another factor England need to consider πŸ€”.

I also think Ben Stokes was spot on when he said those who had success against Aussie bowlers were able to put pressure on them πŸ’ͺ... but at the same time, you can't keep blaming everyone else for your team's struggles 😐. It's all about taking responsibility and making adjustments - and I'm not sure that England have been doing that enough lately πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ.

I'm curious to see how Stokes decides on this now though... if he does send some top players to the warm-up match, it could be a big confidence booster for them πŸ’ͺ. And who knows, maybe they'll come back from this loss stronger than ever πŸ”₯!
 
I FEEL LIKE ENGLAND IS MAKING A BIG MISTAKE BY SKIPPING THAT PINK BALL WARM-UP MATCH!!! πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈ THEY NEED TO GET THOSE 2 DAYS OF COMPETITIVE CRICKET UNDER THE LIGHTS SO BADLY!!! πŸ’₯ IT COULD MAKE SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR GAME PLAN FOR BRISBANE!!! I DONT CARE IF ITS AMATEURISH, VAUGHAN KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT!!! πŸ˜‚ BEN STOKES IS ALL GOOD AND WELL BUT COME ON, YOU CAN'T JUST BLAME THE BOWLERS FOR LOSING TO AUSTRAILIA!!! πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ
 
omg u gotta think, ben stokes & co r just shell-shocked after that 1st test 🀯! i mean, australia crushed em on that pink ball day πŸ’₯! Vaughan's right tho, warm-up match wud b a solid move 4 england... they couldve gained valuable exp with that fancy pink ball 🌸! some ppl might say skip it, but stokes hinting at sendin top players, thats a good move! maybe they just need a little prep time to bounce back πŸ’ͺ
 
OMG 🀯 I'm literally dying over this one! πŸ„ The England captain is trying to play it cool, but let's be real, they got SMACKED 😱 by the Aussie batsmen in that first test. If I were them, I'd want to try out that pink ball ASAP ⏰ so we can get some experience under our belt. It's not like they're gonna magically adapt to the conditions overnight πŸŒƒ. Ben Stokes is trying to spin this (pun intended) but let's be real, his team got ROASTED πŸ˜‚. Can't wait to see if England takes Vaughan's advice and gives it a go! 🀞
 
πŸ€” I think England should totes do that pink-ball warm-up match πŸ˜…. It would give them so much more experience playing under those lights and against a pink ball. I mean, they got smashed in the first Test πŸŒͺ️, but that's exactly why they need to get some practice in. Vaughan makes a good point - it's not like they're gonna magically become experts on the pink ball just because they've played one game πŸ˜‚. Plus, it would be great for their skills and overall team performance. I'm all for them giving it a go πŸ’ͺ!
 
the aussies must be loving this πŸ˜‚, I mean who wouldn't want to crush england's batting on a pink ball? but seriously, ben stokes is right that some players did put pressure on the aussie bowlers... still think england should have taken that warm-up match tho πŸ€”, two days under lights would've been super valuable prep for brisbane πŸŒƒ. stuart law makes a good point too, the conditions in canberra are different from brisbane, so maybe just some of the players could go? don't wanna be a hater, but Vaughan's right that england are missing out on a chance to gain some experience with the pink ball πŸ‘€
 
Ugh, can you believe this? They're just gonna sit out the warm-up match? It's like playing a half game before a full game 🀯🏏. Vaughan makes some valid points though, two days under lights would've been great for them to get used to that pink ball... it's not like they're gonna be facing it for the first time in Brisbane. Stokes is all deflection on the other hand, says they'll consider playing top players if they feel up to it πŸ™„. It's just a bunch of excuses now, maybe they should've practiced more during the off-season? πŸ˜’
 
I'm loving this Ashes series so far 🏏πŸ”₯ but it's gotta be said, skipping the warm-up match is a bit weird πŸ’β€β™‚οΈ. I mean, you're basically saying "we'll figure it out later" πŸ˜’. For me, it's all about preparation and getting those skills up to speed ⚑️. If England really wanna win that series, they need to be ready for anything πŸ”₯. The pink ball is a whole new ball game 🀯 (pun intended πŸ˜‰) and I think the Aussies have got a pretty good system going πŸ’ͺ. Ben Stokes said the team was shell-shocked after that first Test 😲, so maybe it's time to take Vaughan's advice on board πŸ‘ #AshesSeries #PinkBall #PrepareForTheBest
 
πŸ€” I'm not sure why England is skipping that pink-ball warm-up match... it sounds like a great opportunity for them to practice under lights and get some valuable experience with the pink ball. 😊 Vaughan makes a good point - if they don't play in those conditions now, they might be caught off guard when they face Australia again in Brisbane. πŸ’‘ Maybe they're just trying to avoid an embarrassing loss? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ Either way, I think Vaughan's right that preparation is key, and England should definitely consider playing some of their top players in the warm-up match if it'll help them prepare better for the series ahead. πŸ‘
 
omg u gotta love Vaughan's take on this lol 🀯 he's right tho! missin out on that warm-up match is def amateurish England should've taken it as an opp to get those skills down & prepare for the series... but ben stokes did say they might consider playin some top players in the pink-ball match, so fingers crossed that'll happen 🀞
 
I'm totally confused about this decision πŸ€”. I mean, it's one thing to be cautious but skipping the warm-up match altogether feels like a bit of a cop-out πŸ™„. Those Aussie batsmen absolutely destroyed them on Saturday and now England are saying "oh well, let's just wing it"? πŸ˜‚ It's not like they're going to magically adjust their game plan overnight.

I think Vaughan has a point about gaining experience with the pink ball - that would've been super valuable for England 🀝. And I get what Stokes is saying about being "shell-shocked" but come on, you can't just shrug off a 397-run loss and expect to turn it around πŸ’ͺ.

It's all well and good talking about preparation and experience but what about actually putting in the work? πŸ˜’ Can England not afford two days of practice under lights? It's not like they're playing for charity or anything πŸ€‘.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this pink-ball thing... it feels like we're skipping out on something important by not playing that warm-up match 😊. I get what Vaughan is saying, it's all about getting experience and adapting to the conditions. But at the same time, you've got players who are literally "shell-shocked" from the first Test 🀯. It feels like they're jumping straight into the deep end without giving themselves a chance to adjust. I'd rather see them give their top players a go in that warm-up match and get some valuable game-time under their belts πŸ’ͺ.
 
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