England v West Indies: Michael Vaughan says series will be 'sad to watch'
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
| First Investec Test, Edgbaston, day three |
| England 514-8 dec (Cook 243, Root 136, Malan 65, Chase 4-113) |
| West Indies 168 (Blackwood 79*, Anderson 3-24) & 137 (Broad 3-34) |
| England won an innings and 209 runs |
| Scorecard |
The remainder of England's series against West Indies will be "sad to watch", says former England captain Michael Vaughan.
England won the day-night Test - the first game in the three-match series - by an innings and 209 runs inside three days at Edgbaston.
West Indies have not won a Test in England for 17 years.
"Every time they have arrived in England, they seem to have got worse," Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special.
West Indies lost 19 wickets on Saturday to be bowled out for 168 and 137 in reply to England's 514-8 declared.
- Report: England thrash West Indies in three days
- How West Indies lost 19 wickets in a day - watch them all
- TMS podcast: Root, Broad & Bayliss on crushing England win
Their squad is without established stars Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy after a disagreement with Cricket West Indies over selection.
However, their decline from the all-conquering side of the 1980s can be traced back to the mid-1990s - they have not won a series away from home against a team other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe since 1995.
"There are a lot of young players in the West Indies side and you need to give them time, but I find it difficult to think they can go on without any senior players," said Vaughan, who captained England in 51 of his 82 Tests.
"There is no one there to teach them. I really fear that this series could be one of the saddest for Test cricket."
England, who were rated as the worst team in the world in 1999, drew a three-Test series in West Indies as recently as 2015.
"I don't think this era of cricket is any different to any other era," said England coach Trevor Bayliss.
"There have always been strong teams and one or two that are struggling.
"West Indies are going through a rough time but 20, 40, 60 years ago there were other teams that were going through rough periods."
England captain Joe Root said West Indies' display should not detract from the performance of his side, who beat South Africa 3-1 in their previous Test series this summer.
"We talk about being ruthless," he said. "We played some really good cricket and it's important we look to back that up."
'We need to look in the mirror'
Jermaine Blackwood, who scored an unbeaten 79 off 76 in the first innings, was the only West Indies batsmen to pass 40 in a game in which England's Alastair Cook made 243 and Root 136.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder said: "We just weren't up for scratch.
"We lacked consistency when we bowled and we didn't put up any runs in either the first or the second innings.
"Each player has to look themselves in the mirror and see in what way they can improve.
"It's important for us to regroup. This series is not lost. It's important we don't drop our heads. Obviously I believe. I have to believe."
The day-night Test, the first to be held in the UK, was arranged partly to help England prepare for the Ashes, where they will meet Australia in a floodlit Test in Adelaide.
"To have a taste of it before the Ashes is important," said Root.
"The visuals of the ball, getting used to batting at different points in the day, there will be different challenges that lie ahead.
"But to play in that environment and to know what it's about is a good thing moving forward."
Comments
Join the conversation
If not, this form of the game could come under threat from market forces.
Maybe Tests will disappear in time, with maybe the Ashes kept alive, like a living museum.
Personally I prefer Test Match to 50/20 overs but it all comes down to what people are prepared to pay to watch.
Let's hope the long form survives.
It sounds harsh, but no one gets enjoyment seeing a weakened WI side rolling over like this. If it was genuinely the best team that WI could muster then that would be a different matter. We expect better.
A no win situation. The series will let newish Capt Root settle in and hopefully sort out the top of the batting problem before the ashes.
Don't take Test victories for granted, savour and enjoy them. No need to be condescending toward the West Indies.
Legends of a byegone age are queing up to tell them how crap they are. Holding, Ambrose etc. , its not on. How does that help them?
England , however, can only beat whats in front of them.
They were awesome.
For the haters posting on here - why?
One rant: Please can TMS commentators STOP calling fielders "Catchers" and batsmen "Batters"...this is NOT baseball! No doubt this is to placate the PC brigade at the BBC who wish to gender-neutralise everything.
I've no doubt Vaughan is a huge England fan but he also wise enough to look at the bigger picture of world cricket. I prefer test cricket and not just the series between England and Australia. I like how players have to deal with different playing conditions/bowlers/supporters
They thrashed us plenty in the 70's and 80's, i don't believe England got a lot of sympathy at the time.
However, I do think that a former superpower of test cricket showing definite signs of what may be terminal decline is very bad news for the future of the long-form game. Test cricket thrives on competitiveness and there will be little interest in matches that will invariably be over in 3 or 4 days.