"They’ve had a good 12 months, but the Ashes intensity and the scrutiny goes up 100 percent" - Tim Paine predicts 'Bazball' to fizzle out
Former Australian Test skipper Tim Paine believes that England's aggressive approach could go awry really quickly if put under intense pressure. Australia are aiming to go one step further from their previous visit in 2019, where they squandered the chance to win a series on English soil for the first time since 2001.
With the Ashes also marking the start of the third World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, both teams will be keen on making a strong start. England had to pay their price after losing the previous Ashes series Down Under by a 4-0 margin in 2021-22. However, they have a completely different outlook under Ben Stokes, with only two Test losses since June 2022.
Opining that England's approach could be exploited if Australia play their best cricket, Paine told the Sydney Morning Herald:
“I still think if the Aussies get it right and play their best cricket, I think it (Bazball) can come unstuck pretty quickly for England. I do think Australia have got the edge. I think whilst England are playing a different brand of cricket, and they’re confident about it, to me the team looks pretty similar to what we saw in Australia last year."
Paine continued:
"It will be fascinating to see how the Aussies go about it. Do you set really defensive fields because they’ve shown that they’ll come out to score really quickly? Keep your catchers up and drops some blokes out on the fence and see if England want to park their ego, or they’re going to keep trying to go hard?"
Paine added that it does not take much for the batters to start doubting, especially when things do not go the way they intended.
“So there’s some guys there that yeah, they’ve had a good 12 months, but the Ashes intensity and the scrutiny goes up one hundred per cent. It only takes a nick or a couple of lbws and I think some of those guys might start doubting themselves again," Paine stated.
England have racked up monumental wins against the likes of South Africa, New Zealand, India, and Pakistan while embracing the aggressive approach.
Australia, on the other hand, are at their confident best following their mammoth win over India in the WTC final while playing their usual tenacious brand of cricket.
"That’s not what I’d be doing" - Tim Paine on England's reported tactic of preparing flat, fast pitches
During the build-up to the Ashes, reports made the rounds mentioning England's desire to have flat, fast pitches with shorter boundaries to fuel their style of play.
Several Australian team members as well as former players have indicated that England are digging their own graves with such a move, and Tim Paine is also one of them.
The former skipper said:
“That’s not what I’d be doing. I think that sounds too much like Australian conditions for me, and that has not worked for them. I think that favours Australia.”
He continued:
“If the ball is not moving, the pitches aren’t offering them assistance, I think the Aussie batters can dominate. Having said that, I’m fascinated to see what will happen if their batters do come off because our bowlers have never been put under that kind of pressure.”
The Ashes will start with the first Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. England have already announced their playing XI, which features the return of all-rounder Moeen Ali after Jack Leach was ruled out due to a stress fracture.