England's Rotation Plan Under Fire As Moeen Leaves India Tour

England's controversial rotation policy is in the spotlight again after it was announced Moeen Ali would leave the tour of India following Tuesday's crushing 317-run loss in the second Test at

England are due to play at least 17 Tests in 2021, in addition to numerous limited-overs internationals, and there is an acceptance that multi-format players such as Moeen will need breaks from a grueling schedule. And that is even before the mental strain imposed by prolonged periods in a bio-secure bubble designed to guard against the spread of the coronavirus is considered.

But with England having won the 2019 50-over World Cup on home soil, Vaughan feels Test cricket should be their priority in a year culminating with an Ashes tour of Australia.

"The T20 team is a well-oiled unit. The Test side is not," he said. "After 2019 we were told England's priority would be winning back the Ashes."

As for the IPL, having once tried to curtail then star batsman Kevin Pietersen's appearances in the competition, England now believes the team's white-ball performances have improved from players' involvement in the franchise tournament.

There is also a recognition that preventing top stars from earning life-changing sums of money could backfire if it leads them to hasten the end of their England careers.