Vaughan: Give youth a chance to help cover World Cup bases

MICHAEL VAUGHAN has called on England to use their final 18 ODIs before next year’s World Cup to blood youngsters in positions he believes the world No1 team lack depth.

Jos Buttler’s magical, measured century guided England to their first 5-0 whitewash of Australia but skipper Eoin Morgan, one of the batsmen dismissed as England stumbled to 27 for four to leave them requiring the keeper-batsman’s miracle work, admitted they do not possess another player who could have dug them out of such a hole.

England’s next top scorer made 20 a n d B u t t l e r e ke d o u t the 92 runs required from the final two wickets. It was the slowest by 34 balls of his six centuries, the first six he hit was to reach his century (in the company of No11 Jake Ball, who survived 10 balls to secure the one-wicket win) and the first time he has faced 100 balls. It was a clinic in managing a chase.

Man-of-the-series Buttler is one of England’s three most important players, according to Vaughan, alongside the spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, who took 12 Australian wickets apiece.

As a result, they share Engl a n d ’s individual and team record for most wickets falling to spin in a series, while Rashid overtook Graeme Swann to become England’s leading ODI wicket-taker and moved to a career-high No8 in the ODI bowling rankings (Moeen is 13th).

Vaughan is particularly worried about cover for Rashid, due to the importance of wrist-spin in modern ODI cricket, and cites Mason Crane, who has Test a n d ODI c a p s , a s a n o p t i o n to be blooded as his understudy. Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson, who is with England Lions, would be another candidate.

“The biggest compliment I can give this team is they haven’t missed Ben Stokes,” said Vaughan. “They didn’t miss him in Australia [where they won 4-1] and they haven’t here. That’s how good they have become. They are not reliant at all on the charismatic all-rounder.

“You would say now Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler are the ones you cross your fingers and hope they don’t get injured before the World Cup.