• Source:JND

Australia vs England Ashes: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has issued a withering verdict on England's Ashes preparation, calling it "amateurish" and encouraging the Ben Stokes-led side to schedule a pink-ball warm-up match ahead of the second Test in Brisbane.

Australia are currently leading the five-match Ashes series 1-0, thanks to their dominant eight-wicket win in the first Test in Perth. The second Test, a day-night fixture, is set to begin in Brisbane on December 4 at The Gabba.

England's Ashes campaign suffered a crushing letdown in Perth as they imploded to 164 all out in their second innings, handing Australia an eight-wicket victory. England's vulnerabilities were exposed in Perth with Mitchell Starc's devastating bowling, which left them reeling, coupled with Travis Head's spellbinding 69-ball century.

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The former England captain believes the early practice would help the visitors gain valuable experience and increase their chances of scripting a comeback in the series after a crushing two-day defeat in Perth.

"It's amateurish if England don't go out and practise between now and then," Vaughan said, asking why the side would stake entering a critical day-night Test underprepared.

"What harm is it playing two days of cricket with the pink ball under lights? I can't be so old school to suggest that by playing cricket they might get a little bit better," Vaughan to the BBC.

Vaughan urged England to be bold and schedule a pink-ball warm-up match before the second Test in Brisbane.

"My method would be, you've got a pink-ball two-day game. You go and grab it, go and take it, play those two days and give yourself the best chance," the former England captain added.

With captain Ben Stokes admitting his side was "shell-shocked" by the speed of the defeat, former England skipper Nasser Hussain has urged the team to respond with resilience.

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"They have to go into their bunker and dig deep. The one thing about this England side is that they do bounce back under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. They drew the last Ashes series in England from 2-0 down," Hussain told Sky Sports.

"They have a lot of character. They just have to show it now. But it is different in Australia. This is a defeat that will be difficult to come back from. I know that from experience. It is a mountain to climb for England, but they have a lot of character and a captain with a lot of character," Hussain added.

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