Former England opener Michael Vaughan has slammed England's selectors, including team director Andy Flower, for probably 'mentally scarring' Jonny Bairstow by axing him from the squad for the final Ashes Test.
According to the Daily Star, Flower and his fellow selectors were still in shock at the trouble caused by their decision to play young spinner Simon Kerrigan ahead of fast bowlers Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn in The Oval.
Attacking the selectors for wasting a golden opportunity to give the Yorkshire player a final chance to prove that he can handle the Ashes pressure, Vaughan said that given that Bairstow, who had scored just 203 runs in his last seven innings, may be mentally scarred as he has been dropped three times now.
As Bairstow's axing may mean that he could miss out on the return Ashes series this winter, Vaughan also said that the next time Bairstow comes in the squad, he would probably be worrying over the fact that he may get out if he scores poorly again, which would be a constant question mark over his career.
Vaughan also criticised the selectors for not giving Lancashire's Kerrigan more time to come to terms with being selected and termed it as unfair, as Kerrigan, who bowled eight overs for 53 runs on day one at The Oval and was not given the ball at all on day two, looked nervous.