Michael Vaughan criticised the choice made by England to put Jacob Bethell into the team for the Oval Test, on the back of minimal cricket in the summer.
for the final match of the series as the all-rounder put into play the role of the only spinner in the side as well.
However in his first outing with the bat on Day two of the match. The 21-year-old did make a good impression during the tour of New Zealand last year but has only played one first-class match during the summer as he has represented England in the white-ball format mostly this year.
Speaking to the BBC at the end of the day’s play on Friday, Vaughan said he liked the way England played on Day two. However, the former English skipper wasn’t a fan of the team selected, as there were a lot of players who had come into the side despite having minimal game time in the red-ball format.
“It has been an epic. It really has been a brilliant series, and I think this England side,on this kind of pitch, I like the way that they played today,” said Vaughan.
“The only thing I say is in terms of their selection, they have picked players who have been playing no cricket. And to throw them into this hotbed of international cricket in front of this amount of people, with so many more watching, not just here but on TV screens around the world, it isn’t an easy game.”
Vaughan said he finds it extraordinary that England have gone with Bethell for the final match of the series and feels they aren’t giving him the best chance to succeed at the Test level.
“If it was that easy, anyone could play Test match cricket. If you’re throwing a 21-year-old into this situation on the back of one first-class match in our summer, I find that absolutely extraordinary. I don’t think you’re giving a kid the best chance of succeeding at this level,” said Vaughan.
Bethell was joined in the team by Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton as part of the changes England made before the match.