Vaughan wants fiveman attack in Australia

LONDON: Former England captain Michael Vaughan has said the lesson of last year’s Ashes triumph is that England must deploy a five-bowler attack for the Ashes series in Australia.

November will see the start of the latest Test contest between cricket’s oldest international rivals, with England well aware they haven’t won an Ashes in Australia since 1986/87, when Mike Gatting was captain.

In 2005, Vaughan led England, on home soil, to their first Ashes series win since Gatting’s tour - and did so with a five-man attack of Stephen Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles.

“The debate all summer will be about England’s formation. Will it be six batters and four bowlers, or five and five?” said Vaughan, who believed that England cannot beat top sides with four bolwers in the lineup. “I firmly believe they are going to need five bowlers in Australia but I think this management group and Strauss will go with four,” added the former opening batsman.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 26th, 2010.