England have opted not to send their first-choice batsmen to the pink-ball tour game in Canberra, with only a few players from the Ashes squad set to join the England Lions side for the two-day match against a Prime Minister's XI. The decision was widely seen as an opportunity for the team to give some of their top batters practice time before the second Test in Brisbane.
The lack of involvement from top batsmen like Zak Crawley, who became only the fourth English opener to record a pair in an Ashes Test in Perth, has been described as "bizarre" by former England fast bowler Jonathan Agnew. He believes that sending some players to Canberra would have provided valuable experience for them and potentially helped to improve their skills.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed this sentiment, saying that it would be "amateurish" of the team not to take advantage of the opportunity. He argued that playing in a pink-ball game under lights could help the team prepare better for the upcoming Test match at Brisbane's Gabba.
The decision not to send top batsmen has been attributed to an 11-day break before the second Test, which meant that players who had featured in the first Test would have had limited time to practice. However, the England coach Brendon McCullum appeared to leave the door open for a batter to join the Lions side if they wanted to.
The team is set to travel to Brisbane on Wednesday and will not train until Monday, although there may be an extra training session on Sunday. With the first Test completed in just two days, many saw it as the perfect opportunity for the team to give some of their top batters practice time before the next match.
The lack of involvement from top batsmen like Zak Crawley, who became only the fourth English opener to record a pair in an Ashes Test in Perth, has been described as "bizarre" by former England fast bowler Jonathan Agnew. He believes that sending some players to Canberra would have provided valuable experience for them and potentially helped to improve their skills.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed this sentiment, saying that it would be "amateurish" of the team not to take advantage of the opportunity. He argued that playing in a pink-ball game under lights could help the team prepare better for the upcoming Test match at Brisbane's Gabba.
The decision not to send top batsmen has been attributed to an 11-day break before the second Test, which meant that players who had featured in the first Test would have had limited time to practice. However, the England coach Brendon McCullum appeared to leave the door open for a batter to join the Lions side if they wanted to.
The team is set to travel to Brisbane on Wednesday and will not train until Monday, although there may be an extra training session on Sunday. With the first Test completed in just two days, many saw it as the perfect opportunity for the team to give some of their top batters practice time before the next match.
, brendon mccullum said theres an op in 4 a batter 2 join the lions side but it feels like hes just sayin that 2 make himself sound good 
, anywayz its not like canberra's gonna break their bats or anythin lol, pink ball game under lights wouldve been sweet tho 
and what's with the 11-day break tho, couldn't they have just skipped the pink-ball game altogether or something? 
i mean michael vaughan makes a valid point but i'm still kinda disappointed 
. Maybe Brendon McCullum was just trying to manage their workload a bit too carefully? It's still a shame, though - it feels like a missed opportunity for some of those top batsmen to get some extra practice time in.
. I mean, I agree with him on that point... but at the same time, you've got to consider the bigger picture and all the factors that go into team management.
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and btw do they really need 11 days off before the next test? cant they just train on the plane or something? 
. Maybe they just wanna see if their new recruits are actually any good?
, i was really looking forward to seein those big names smash some balls around, but i guess 11-day break can be a bit harsh 
it makes sense if they have a long break before the next test, but 11 days is plenty of time to fit in some training sessions 
i think michael vaughan has a point here... playing under lights and with that unique ball could really help them prepare for the next match 
and what's up with brendon mccullum being all secretive about it 
do we know who's actually going to join the lions side? 
. I get what Michael Vaughan's saying, though - this could've been a great chance for some young batsmen to shine under lights 
. But I guess you can't blame them for wanting that extra break before the next Test 
. What really gets me is Jonathan Agnew's 'bizarre' comment 
it's an 11-day break before the next test, so shouldn't they be making the most of this opportunity? 
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