Former England captain Michael Vaughan has slammed the selectors' decision to omit pacer Graham Onions from the squad for the return Ashes series, saying that the selectors have 'dropped a major clanger' by instead opting to rely on their fast bowling arsenal in Australia.
Durham pace bowler Onions was overlooked in favour of four of the tallest bowlers in England like Boyd Rankin, Chris Tremlett, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, whom they are backing to get the most out of the bouncy wickets in Australia.
According to the Daily Star, although Vaughan hailed the selectors' choosing the fast bowlers given that they all are big, strong and hit the deck very hard, he however, said that he is disappointed that Onions did not make the squad as he believes that the player would have been useful to have around in Australia.
Stating that Onions had another successful summer, Vaughan also said that he felt that Onions deserved a chance to play in the return Ashes, adding that it is important to get the right balance when picking an attack for such a long tour and for pitches, which might be made even harder and bouncier than usual to help Australian bowlers.
Agreeing with Vaughan, former England spinner Shaun Udal said he felt that Onions should have been named in the squad as a replacement for main swing bowler James Anderson, in case Anderson got an injury.