Former England captain Michael Vaughan has said that James Anderson and Stuart Broad should not play together for England leading up to the next Ashes series in Australia in 2020-21. Both Anderson and Broad are considered the most successful bowling pair for England, taking up 575 and 467 wickets respectively for the side.

“I don’t think it’s right that both of them play now,” said Vaughan talking to BBC. “It might be that Broad plays one series and Anderson plays one series. They are not going to like it, but they are at that stage of their careers where England are going to have to manage the combination very smartly,” he told.

Broad was the best bowler for England in the recently concluded Ashes series where he bagged 23 wickets at an average of 26.65. Anderson, on the other hand, bowled only 4 overs in the first match of the five-match Ashes series before a calf injury ruled him out.

Read here: BCCI ACU Chief Calls For Match-Fixing Law

Vaughan further said that the team should play in a more disciplined way and give chance to some young players in the longer format of the game.

“I want to see a disciplined way of playing and the World Cup is in the bag now. The most important thing going forward is the Ashes in two years. It is the Test team that needs a real focus over two and a half years of real dedication and structure,” he added.

“It might be that some of the players who play all of the formats miss white-ball series to make sure that when the Tests are on they are absolutely fresh and ready to bat seven hours, because to win in Australia that is exactly what you require. You need a relentless nature with the ball and relentless discipline with the bat – and it has to come over a two-and-a-half-year window,” Michael Vaughan concluded.