"Don't think it's the only way of playing cricket" - Ricky Ponting on England's aggressive gameplay across formats

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has weighed in on England's aggressive brand of cricket across formats. The 48-year-old suggested that England have found a method of play that suits their cricketers the best.

While England's limited-overs revolution took place after their 2015 World Cup debacle that culminated in a victory in the following edition, they have also started playing aggressively in Test cricket. Their run rate of 5.5 during the Pakistan tour last year was the highest for any team in a Test series.

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Speaking to the Times of India, the Tasmanian claimed:

"I don't think it's the only way of playing cricket. In an ideal world, if you can play that way well and successfully, then you are not going to lose too many games.

"It's not that England have won every game they have played and set world records in terms of the scores they have put up. You have to find a style of play that suits the group of players. That's what the art of coaching is."

When asked about Australia's brand of aggressive cricket during his playing days, Ponting pointed out that it was natural unlike England's:

"It wasn't premeditated. We had an aggressive mindset and we wanted to score quickly. England may be scoring quicker, but it seems it is a more premeditated approach to the game than we had."

Since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach, respectively, England have lost only two out of 12 Tests. Under their regime, England became the first team to inflict a 3-0 whitewash on Pakistan at home.

"He doesn't care if they get out early" - Ricky Ponting on Brendon McCullum

When asked how significant culture plays for a team playing a certain brand of cricket, Ponting said that it has more to do with attitude. He cited Brendon McCullum's example and how he encourages England to play aggressively:

"It's an attitude thing. You have to empower your players to play through that way through good and bad times. If you look at England, they have done exactly that. Brendon McCullum, since he became the Test coach, has said this is the group of players he wants and will back them to play a certain way. He doesn't care if they get out early."

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England's next most significant assignment is the Ashes series on home soil, starting on June 16 at Edgbaston.