"He has given the courage and the faith in the English batters to go and play that way" - David Boon on Brendon McCullum's 'Bazball'
David Boon believes the so-called Bazball has brought about an amazing evolution in the game. He lauded Brendon McCullum for giving the requisite freedom to the England batters to follow that approach.
England declared their first innings at 393/8, scored at a run rate of 5.03, on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. They posted a 273-run total at 4.11 runs per over in their second essay but eventually lost the match to Australia by two wickets.
During an interaction on the podcast 'SEN Tassie', Boon was asked about his thoughts on 'Bazball', considering it's a different game from what he used to play in the 80s and 90s, to which he responded:
"It's a vastly different game but I think it's very exciting to watch. It's different, it's Brendon McCullum to the T. A few years back when Brendon was playing, he decided that being accountable but going out there and playing really positive cricket is the way to go in our game."
The former Australian batter added:
"He has given the courage and the faith in the English batters to go and play that way. For a side to declare at nearly 400 on the first day of an Ashes Test to have a bowl at the opposition that night is an amazing evolution of the game."
Reflecting on England's defeat in the first Test, Boon highlighted that 'Bazball' won't be successful every time. He added that the approach also revolves around having good and slightly slow pitches for their batters to play in that manner.
"I don't think the aggressive part of it is going to leave" - David Boon on whether England will continue with 'Bazball' at Lord's
David Boon was also asked about whether England will continue with their gung-ho approach in the second Test at Lord's, to which he replied:
"If the ball does a bit, they might have to change their game plan just a little bit but I don't think the aggressive part of it is going to leave. Back in my day, you would have probably batted for a little longer, especially maybe in the second innings, that let's bat the side out of the game so that we can go harder with the ball."
The ICC match referee added that the ultra-aggressive approach introduced by Brendon McCullum is great for Test cricket:
"I think in the second Test you will see changes from both sides but the aggressive McCullum style of cricket, I don't think will change. I have watched a lot, it's amazing to watch and I think it's wonderful for cricket overall."
Boon concluded by observing that the Australian attack will have to adapt to it and do things a little bit differently. However, he pointed out that Pat Cummins and Co. are in a good position as they are the current holders of the Ashes and are 1-0 up in the ongoing series.