Michael Vaughan has spoken after England lost the fifth Test at The Oval. In the process, the series, which at one point looked all but won for England, ended in a draw.
The series ended 2-2 after England faltered in the chase of 374 runs. Needing 35 runs to win on day five, the lower-order collapsed and India managed to win the contest by six runs.
In the process, India managed to move ahead of England in the WTC 2025-27 points table. England was without Ben Stokes for the final Test as he was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Ollie Pope led the side in his absence.
England Did Panic - Michael Vaughan
Pope was not able to score crucial runs when needed. Meanwhile, England lost the Test match despite centuries from Joe Root and Harry Brook. Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special, Michael Vaughan said that England would have won the match had Stokes played this Test.
“This morning, Ben Stokes in that team, England would’ve won this Test match. He plays such a big role in this team, the mentality,” Vaughan said.
“You go through this morning and England did panic. They just needed one partnership. They panicked in the way that they can with the way that they play, they play with a huge amount of aggressiveness,” he added.
Vaughan said that England lacked Stokes’ tactical experience as captain, as they panicked in the final moments of the Test match. Ben Stokes , previously in the Test series and especially in the Lord’s Test, turned the tide in England’s favour purely with his captaincy experience.
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England Missed Stokes's Tactical Brilliance As Captain
England also missed Stokes’s experience as an all-rounder. He scored over 300 runs in the series with a century and a half-century to go with his 23 wickets. After the loss of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell late on day 4, England lacked Stokes’ experience with the bat as well. His absence was thus one of the key reasons why England lost the Test and dropped below India on the WTC 2025-27 points table.
