Top English white-ball stars like Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Jos Buttler should have prioritized playing in the high-intensity IPL playoffs over featuring in an international bilateral series, feels former England captain Michael Vaughan.
The trio had exited the ongoing Indian T20 league after their respective franchises – Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings – made it to the playoff stage. However, with England's T20 World Cup preparations in full swing, they joined the national team for their upcoming matches against Pakistan.
Vaughan, though, is of the firm opinion that playing knockout matches in a pressure cooker environment like the IPL would have immensely benefitted the players more than simple bilateral fixtures. “The IPL playoffs is where you really want your players performing under massive crowd expectations. It's as close as it gets to real international tournament football before the big event”, he said.
The former skipper singled out Jacks and Salt in particular, stating their teams – RR and GT – were still in contention for the title. Playing high-voltage cricket at such a critical juncture would have done wonders for the duo rather than easy outings versus Pakistan. Even for Jos Buttler, while not as crucial as the other two, staying back was preferable according to Vaughan.
England currently lead Pakistan 1-0 in the ongoing five-match series, with the third game later this week. It remains to be seen if the debate surrounding prioritizing franchise cricket over country gains further traction amongst experts in the upcoming months.
