Michael Vaughan calls Ben Stokes’ England ‘a backroom team made up of cheerleaders’ after 4-1 loss to India

Despite having won the first of five Tests in their tour of India, the Ben Stokes-led England team have been at the receiving end of criticism owing to a 4-1 routing from the hosts, wrapped up by an innings and 64 runs defeat in less than three days in the Dharamsala Test.

One of the critics has been former England skipper Michael Vaughan, who termed the side as a ‘a backroom team made up of cheerleaders’.

“I am not one for old-school preparation, with three first-class matches at the start of a tour. Those days are gone, and it’s not needed. But surely with two long breaks, you need to get some cricket into the outside of the team, so they are ready if required, and to keep those in the XI on their toes. It also might help players in the team find form. By doing nothing, you get yourself into a Catch 22. I do worry it’s a backroom team made up of cheerleaders. That’s based on what I hear in public, and maybe it’s different in the changing room, but players need challenging and questioning at times,” Vaughan wrote in his assessment for Daily Telegraph.

It was a first-ever Test series defeat for England since Ben Stokes took over as captain in 2022. With an aggressive mantra of play, many had touted Stokes and Co as a strong contender to break India’s decade long unbeaten streak at home in the longest format – since Alastair Cook’s England back in 2012.

Ben Stokes from five games could only manage 199 runs at an average of 19.90 in the series against India.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Cook himself has had a defensive stance for the team. “There’s a little of the human element that comes into it. We are sitting here away from the emotions of the game. We are sitting here at home watching the telly. I am not defending England but they have been away for getting on eight weeks. It’s a tough tour they’re not robots,” Cook would say on TNT Sports.

Responding to the former English skipper, Mark Waugh wrote on X, “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from Alastair Cook. As an international cricketer, this is what you train for and get paid for. This is one of the best tours as an international cricketer you can go on.”

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Lingering eighth in the nine-team World Test Championship standings, England next face West Indies and Sri Lanka at home in the red-ball format in the coming summer following the T20 World Cup.

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