After Australia's first-ever loss to an Asian side in a Test series at home, former England skipper Michael Vaughan suggested the return of David Warner and Steven Smith is not the answer to all their problems.
After Australia's first-ever loss to an Asian side in a Test series at home, former England skipper Michael Vaughan suggested the return of David Warner and Steven Smith is not the answer to all their problems.
Australia hosted India in a four-Test series without their arguably best batsmen, Warner and Smith, who are serving a year's ban following the ball-tampering incident last March.
The hosts managed to pull off a win in Perth but lost in Adelaide and Melbourne. The final Test in Sydney was ruined by rain and was forced to end in a draw which gave Virat Kohli's side a historic 2-1 victory in the Test series.
With the Ashes coming up this year in England, Vaughan said that with the current side, there was no way Australia could retain the trophy.
"I cannot see Australia beating England this summer unless they assess themselves brutally," Vaughan wrote in his column for London's Telegraph newspaper.
"Batting techniques have to be better and they need to be more consistent with the ball. Every facet of their test team has to improve. They are kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Smith and Warner come back," he added.
Fox Cricket shared Vaughan's column on Twitter and former Aussie cricketer Mark Waugh responded to that tweet with his counter-argument.
"I’m not so sure about that Mr.Vaughan. Assuming Warner and Smith get back to somewhere near there best I’m suggesting they will make a huge difference. You take the 2 best batsmen out of any cricket team in the world and see what happens or even 1. Kohli, Root, Williamson etc," Waugh tweeted.
The former England skipper was in no mood to give up as he responded to Waugh, "It’s not just your Batting Mark ... Take your blinkers off."
The Ashes is scheduled to play in August and the five Tests will be played at Edgbaston, the Lord'sm Headingly, Old Trafford and Kennington Oval.
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