England need to stay true to Bazball, now more than ever
Picture this - it is a fine, sprightly morning in Leeds - England, after losing the toss, have been put into bat by Australia. The sun is shining but there is plenty of grass on the surface. Australia, being 2-0 up, want to drive home that advantage and want to push England into a situation where they start questioning their approach.
For the uninitiated, England have, over the past year or so, threatened to change the Test game forever. Runs have been scored quicker than ever before. Wickets have been acquired through the most outlandish of field placements, and as Brendon McCullum put it after the first Test at Edgbaston, defeats have also been lauded up to feel like wins.
Back to the game now. England get off to a decent start. They stave off the challenge posed by Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and skipper Pat Cummins. Todd Murphy then comes on and he is milked for singles and doubles, with Australia content to keep the field spread out.
As lunch approaches, though, the urge to do something funky catches up with the hosts. Ben Duckett tries to sweep Murphy and is caught at deep square leg. Zak Crawley attempts one of his trademark back-foot punches, only to edge to slip. Joe Root walks out, unfurls the reverse scoop of the first ball he faces, and loses his off stump.
Ben Stokes gets out trying to charge Cummins, and Harry Brook slaps another short delivery straight to cover. Jonny Bairstow wanders out of his crease and is run out (the ball is dead this time, though). But anyway, you kind of get the gist, right?
As soon as this capitulation materializes, the murmurs, groans, and moans are louder than ever. Whatever this Bazball or attacking approach is, it simply cannot work in Test cricket against high-quality opposition.
Australia go around telling everyone how this was a flawed concept from the very start and why England should never have proclaimed to play this way until they had faced off in the Ashes.
This is, of course, imagination as close to reality, considering how this summer has unfolded. The negativity and the skepticism around England’s approach, based on tangible evidence, could even be warranted, to an extent.
But what if it actually works?
Cricket is a game of fine margins – that much has been clear to everyone who has watched the sport since its inception. When adopting an aggressive brand of cricket, in a format where patience, perseverance, and batting long are regarded as key virtues, the margins are even finer.
England's approach in the Ashes has come in for criticism
England have already been chastened by it. But because this is Australia. Because this is the Ashes, and because it is this particular set of English players, England need to stick to Bazball. Now more than ever.
To many, this might sound ridiculous, absurd, and many such words. The only reason England were supposed to go toe-to-toe with Australia this summer, though, was because they were this breath of fresh air – a team that would force the opposition into venturing out of their comfort zone and would try to impose themselves at every possible juncture.
England reveals their playing XI for the highly anticipated 3rd Ashes match.
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It has not worked so far, and irrespective of how England, their players, and coaches try to sugar-coat it, that is the reality. But because they have these gifted stroke-makers in the mix – the likes of Bairstow, Brook, Crawley, Duckett, and Stokes – they might have a better shot at succeeding this way than just pushing and prodding against an Australian attack that will inevitably produce wicket-taking deliveries.
Moreover, Australia looked a little rattled when Stokes was smashing them to all parts at Lord’s. That was not very dissimilar to how Australia lost the plot when Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur mounted a counter-attack at the World Test Championship final, or when Dinesh Chandimal scored a superb double-hundred at Galle in July 2022.
The other and more pertinent aspect is that England since McCullum and Stokes took over, has bought into this philosophy completely. They have made some outrageous calls but all of them have been backed by complete belief – belief that that decision gives them the best chance of victory.
Full focus on tomorrow.
Full focus on the task at hand.
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If they now take a backward step, not only would that hint at concession, but it would also give the Australians a psychological edge. Rather than coming up against a side that refuses to change its style of play, they will face a team that will then be unsure of how it wants to play. And that, as the last iteration of the Ashes illustrated, usually does not end well.
England have also been quite bullish in suggesting that they will stick to this new approach, irrespective of whoever they are facing and whatever is at stake. With the Ashes on the line, and with Australia having the bit between their teeth, they might not get a better opportunity to walk the talk, although their execution will have to be right on point.
If the hosts continue on this path, they will, according to several past cricketers and pundits, surrender a 3-0 lead. Based on the first two Test matches, there might be some truth to it too. But as always with Bazball and this attack-at-all-costs approach, there is a chance that it can quickly become 2-1, and possibly 3-2 by the end of July.
To the critics, it is a ludicrous way to look at things. To those in the England dressing room, this is exactly the sort of conversation they have been having for a year or so now. There will always be those who will say this deviation from the traditional method will not work.
But now, more than ever, it is about asking what if it does…