England were ruthlessly annihilated by India at their Edgbaston fortress in the second Test. Apart from the heroic brilliance from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook in the first innings, the English team was all at sea. Their bowlers failed to get past the grit and resilience of the Indian batters, most notably Shubman Gill, who acted as a thorn in their side. 

The home side's colossal defeat did not sit too well with the former England Test cricketers. The English captain Ben Stokes has come under immense fire for his bizarre "subcontinent pitch" remark. Speaking after the conclusion of the second Test, Stokes tried to draw a comparison between the Edgbaston pitch and a typical subcontinent surface in an effort to convey to the viewers that it was the sluggishness of the deck that ultimately contributed to their downfall. 

Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan simply did not agree with Stokes' viewpoint and instead blasted him for issuing this remark. Vaughan further pointed out that the Edgbaston pitch has traditionally been on the slower side, and this was a fact the England captain should have known long before. 

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Vaughan counters Stokes' "Indian subcontinent" remark

During a conversation on his YouTube channel "Stick to Cricket', Vaughan mocked Stokes' assessment of the Edgbaston pitch. The cricketer turned commentator argued whether the Edgbaston pitch had ever been on the quicker side. He further stressed that the pitch does offer a little bit of swing in helpful conditions, but for the most part, the pitch tends to be on the slower side. 

"They thought it played more like a subcontinent-style wicket. Can you name me a pitch at Edgbaston that has had pace and bounce in it? So, I don't get when they say it was subcontinent style. Edgbaston, it might swing if the conditions come in, but it's always been slow."

Vaughan was joined by legendary English cricket commentator David Lloyd in his talk show. "Bumble" added a touch of humour by sharing a hilarious piece of advice to Ben Stokes. Llyod joked about giving a few overs to Ben Duckett in the second innings as he felt that the Indian batters may have been troubled by the lack of bounce. 

"In this last Test match, I said, put Duckett on. They will never hit him, will they? No bounce, it'd go under the bat, it'd go underneath."

An extraordinary contest ensued at Edgbaston with both teams piling well over 1600 runs across four Test innings. The bat dominated the ball for the most part as both teams recorded their highest-ever combined score (1692) in Test cricket. 

Under the leadership of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, England played an adventurous style of Test cricket on Monday. The Three Lions defeated Pakistan by 74 runs on a lifeless pitch after an exciting declaration kept both teams in the game until the very end. While England’s batsmen may have enjoyed themselves on the tranquil track, it was certainly an accomplishment to bowl a talented Pakistani batting line-up out in two overs on a dead pitch.

Since that victory, a number of former England captains and cricketers have praised the team’s new style of Test play and said that Stokes’ captaincy is one of the best they’ve seen in a long time in the longest format.

At the moment, a lot of discussion centres on whether or not other teams will adopt England’s style of aggressive Test cricket.

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David Lloyd, a well-known cricket commentator and former England coach, said in a column for The Daily Mail that India have all the tools to follow suit, but Indian batters’ “stats driven” mindset could be a problem.

“It is not totally new, of course. The Australia team of the 90s were very positive and the great West Indian sides were full of exhilarating stroke-makers. I reckon a team capable of this style now is India. They have all the tools. There has been a suspicion that Indian batters are stats driven but Virat Kohli is one who could drive this,”

Lloyd wrote.

He hailed England’s attitude and for walking the talk in terms of making Test cricket more exciting.

“Test cricket has to keep moving in this positive direction to keep pace with the white-ball game. That’s what England are doing in the most exciting way imaginable. What a statement Stokes has made in saying ‘I’m not interested in draws.’ And this win shows he means it. Even on a pitch like that! The fascinating thing now is how quickly other teams follow suit?,”

he added.