The decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been hugely debated since England players Will Jacks (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals) and the rest were ordered to return for international duty.
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Buttler, Salt and Jacks would have featured in the IPL playoffs, which Vaughan and former Australia captain Adam Gilchrist believe is a “missed opportunity”. Instead they were called back in time for the first T20I against Pakistan on May 22 in Headingley, which incidentally got washed out by rain.
“I think England missed a trick by sending all their players home,” said Vaughan on the ‘Club Prairie Fire’ podcast. “I think Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Jos Buttler in particular, playing in the IPL in the eliminations (playoffs), pressure, crowd, expectation, I would argue that playing here is better preparation than playing a T20 game against Pakistan.”
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Vaughan went on to specify that he is not asking to put club cricket ahead of international duty and that his comment is based on the comparison between the pressure of playing in the IPL playoffs and in a T20 international from the point of view of preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
“I am all for international cricket, but…this tournament (IPL) in particular is so exposed to pressure…players are under a huge amount of pressure from fans, owners, social media; it’s massive,” said the former batsman.
“I just felt Buttler, probably not as much but I still think he could have stayed here, but Will Jacks and Phil Salt, I think they would have been better prepared (for the T20 World Cup) staying here and playing in the IPL than going back to Headingley to play a (T20I) game.
“I am not disrespecting Pakistan or the England side. They haven’t been playing a lot of T20 cricket together but I would say the standard here (IPL) would possibly be better…,” Vaughan added.
Gilchrist, who was also part of the podcast episode, concurred with Vaughan’s opinion.
“I am sure there are a number of (England) players who could have fulfilled those obligations (for T20I series against Pakistan) in the international setup there, but the guys that were actively involved in the IPL, in the finals period (should have stayed back). I think that’s a missed opportunity, spot on,” said Gilchrist.
The IPL final will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday in Chennai, which will be followed by the T20 World Cup beginning on June 2 in the US and West Indies.
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