Tag: Michael Vaughan

LONDON: Former England captain and renowned commentator Michael Vaughan has decided to step down from the BBC Commentary Panel amid the ongoing conversations surrounding the Yorkshire racism allegations.

The former captain of England, who has been a presenter and commentator for the BBC since 2009, was mentioned in a report into Azeem Rafiq’s encounters with racism while playing for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently filed charges against Yorkshire and “a number of individuals” after looking into the allegations of racism. If found guilty, the accused could face a ban or fine from the Board. Vaughan is reportedly one of the people charged, but the ECB has not released the name of the suspect as of yet.

Vaughan, on the other hand, in a statement on social media, claimed that his decision of stepping back temporarily is in the interest of the game and the wellbeing of his family.

“On numerous occasions, I have put on record my views on the issues concerning YCCC. It is always regrettable when commentary on matters off the field take the focus away from what’s happening on the field,” Vaughan said on Twitter.

“In view of the ongoing dialogue on the subject, I have taken the decision to step back from my work with the BBC for the time being. Stepping back temporarily is also in the interests of the game and I hope that it will minimize any difficulties for my work colleagues,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ECB started the investigation after the former Yorkshire CCC player Rafiq made racism allegations and claimed to have experienced ‘inhuman behaviour’, whereas, an independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) will hear the cases in due course and as per the normal practice of the ECB.

READ: Yorkshire CCC requests ‘cooperation’, responds to racism charges by ECB

LONDON: England’s former captain Michael Vaughan has put his weight behind Jos Buttler to lead his side in the limited-overs format while calling him the best white-ball player in the world.

After England’s white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan is reportedly set to retire from international cricket, Vaughan backed wicket-keeper batter, Buttler, for the role, in his recent column for The Telegraph.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer that Jos Buttler takes over that role. He’s the best white-ball player in the world, he’s got a very smart cricket brain, and he’s got that calmness you need,” said Vaughan in his column.

Vaughan also advocated for Buttler’s inclusion in the Test squad as he believed the wicketkeeper fit well with the aggressive mindset of England’s new regime under head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes.

“England have this fearless, aggressive nature, and the balls don’t seem to be doing as much in the UK as they have done in previous seasons. If something as radical Buttler as Test opener was ever going to work it would be now, under this management group of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum,” he concluded.

The 31-year-old known for his aggressive batting style has a phenomenal record both in T20I and ODIs. His powerful knock of 162 off 70 balls remained instrumental when England smashed the highest total in ODI cricket, recently against the Netherlands.

In all, Buttler scored 4120 runs in 151 ODIs averaging 41.20 with 10 centuries and 21 half-centuries. Meanwhile, he appeared in 88 T20Is, scoring 2140 runs at an average of 34.5 with 15 half-centuries and a century to his name.

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LONDON: Former English skippers – Michael Vaughan and Michael Atherton have thrown their weight behind the flamboyant all-rounder Ben Stokes to become the new England Test captain.

Stokes, who previously said that he would turn down the offer to captain the side if his friend Joe Root gets sacked. But, with Root, resigning from the position on his own, may result in the former accepting the role conveniently.

Vaughan, who led England in 51 Tests and an Ashes triumph, termed Stokes as a natural choice.

“I don’t see anyone else who could take the position and be guaranteed of their place in the side,” said Vaughan referring to Stokes.

“In Stokes, you have clearly got someone who has got a smart cricket brain, he’s going to give it everything, he is certainly going to have the respect of the players around him,” he added.

Time for Ben Stokes .. https://t.co/WYpfMuDubQ @TelegraphSport !

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) April 15, 2022

 

Atherton, who captained England in 54 matches, termed Stokes as a ‘stop-gap captain’.

“That Root stepped down of his own accord makes it easier now for Ben Stokes, the only viable candidate, to take over,” wrote Atherton in The Times.

“Loyalty is everything to Stokes and he would not have wanted to take over had he felt that Root had been pushed aside,” his statement added.

“Stokes should be given the job, but it does not have to be for the long term. A short, sharp shock is required,” Atherton concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Root, who captained England in the record 64 Test matches, has decided to resign from his position on Friday after his side’s below-par performance in the longest format.

During his five years as England captain, Root scored 5,295 runs – the most by an English captain – and also hit 14 centuries.

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KARACHI: Former English Cricketer – Michael Vaughan lauded the standard of cricket in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), termed it as the second-best T20 league in the world.

On his Twitter account, Vaughan opined about the PSL and praised the quality of cricket the league offers.

“Pakistan Super League [PSL] is the 2nd best T20 Tournament in the World, it’s not far off the IPL either,” he wrote.

Pakistan Super league is the 2nd best T20 Tournament in the World .. it’s not far off the IPL either .. Outstanding standard of cricket .. #Pakistan #PSL

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 1, 2022

 

It is worth mentioning here that the PSL 7 kicked off on January 27 at National Stadium with Karachi Kings taking on the defending champions in the curtain-raiser. Eight matches have been played so far with the Sultans leading the chart with four out of four wins.

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KARACHI: Former England’s cricketer – Michael Vaughan termed the India-Pakistan rivalry as the biggest, also outweighed the Ashes.

Vaughan, while discussing the rivalry between the Asian neighbouring giants, referred to it as the ‘biggest game’.

“I think, we being England and Australia ex-players, we all kind of think of the Ashes as the biggest game in world cricket, it’s not! India vs Pakistan is the biggest game,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan also commented on the next match between the two sides in the ICC T20 World Cup on October 23, stating that it would be a real test for Rohit Sharma, the recently appointed Indian captain.

“Looking forward to Rohit Sharma being the captain, probably the first time he’s going to be under real pressure. It’s going to be an epic event,” he added.

Pakistan and India are set to lock horns on October 23 in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It’s worth noting that the T20 World Cup will commence on October 16 and will be held in seven venues across Australia. Whereas, India and Pakistan have been placed in Group 2 alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, winner of Group B, and runner-up of Group A.

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