ENG vs IND: "England would’ve won this Test match"- Michael Vaughan says Ben Stokes' absence cost them The Oval test

Ben Stokes was ruled out of The Oval test due to a shoulder injury.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that England would’ve won the fifth test at The Oval if Ben Stokes had been part of the match. The England skipper was ruled out of the encounter due to a shoulder injury.

Vice-captain Ollie Pope led England in the Oval test, which they lost by six runs. The hosts failed to chase down 374 runs in the match, despite centuries by Harry Brook (111) and Joe Root (105) in the second innings. England were just 35 runs away from the win with four wickets left on day five.

However, Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bundled them out to grab a narrow victory. Siraj clinched a five-wicket haul in the second innings and won Player of the Match award. With India‘s win in the final test, the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

England would’ve won this test match with Ben Stokes: Michael Vaughan

Speaking on the BBC show “Test Match Special,” former England captain Vaughan said that Stokes plays a big role in the team and England would’ve won the final encounter if he was part of the team.

“This morning, Ben Stokes in that team, England would’ve won this Test match. He plays such a big role in this team, the mentality. You go through this morning and England did panic,” he said.

“They just needed one partnership. They panicked in the way that they can with the way that they play, they play with a huge amount of aggressiveness,” he added.

Stokes was present in the stands during the fifth test at The Oval. He hammered a century and clinched a five-wicket haul in the fourth test at Old Trafford, Manchester.

The England all-rounder mustered 304 runs in seven innings at an average of 43.43 with one ton. With 17 wickets in four matches at an average of 25.24, he finished as the third highest wicket-taker in the series. He also won Player of the Match award in the Lord’s and the Old Trafford tests.

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