England players, Will Jacks, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Sam Curran and others were called up for national duty and had to leave the IPL ahead of the playoff week. The defending World T20 champions, are currently hosting the Pakistan Cricket Team in a four-match series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.
After the first game between the two was washed off in Leeds, England managed to take a 1-0 lead in the series by defeating the away side by a comfortable 23-run margin after setting a target of 184 runs.
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Former England captain, Michael Vaughanm believes that the English players should have stayed back and played in the IPL instead of the series against Pakistan.
What did Michael Vaughan say about English players leaving before IPL playoffs?
Vaughan feels that the IPL in particular is a league that offers much more pressure compared to the others and the players could have learned to handle that pressure in a better way ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"I think you’re going to miss the trick by sending all their players home. You know, I think Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Josh Butler, in particular, playing in the IPL in the eliminators, pressure, crowd, expectation. I would argue that playing here is better preparation than playing a T20 game against Pakistan," he said in Club Prairie Fire podcast.
Vaughan also said that he felt that at least Will Jacks and Phil Salt should have stayed back for the IPL as it could have helped them prepare better for the World Cup.
“I’m all for international cricket, but now and again, this tournament in particular, it’s so exposed to pressure," he added. "These players are under a huge amount of pressure from fans, owners, and social media. It’s massive.”
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England’s squad for the World Cup
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Reserves: No reserves announced