Australia prevailed in 2 wicket victory on Tuesday against England at Edgbaston, a riveting encounter that came to an end with Australia notching the first win in the Ashes 2023. The skipper Pat Cummins will be overjoyed with his team’s performance, but Pat Cummins‘ hard work facilitates the Aussies to seal the win, his 44 runs in 73 balls propelled Australia to reach the finish line.
The odds were stacked against Australia as the wickets fell like a domino, upon Alex Carrey’s dismissal the hopes were beginning to be extinguished but the Skipper Pat Cummins did not disappoint anyone, as Lyon and Cummins fought well to take their team to the first win. England will be disappointed by their performance and approach that did not yield the results, they need to devise an alternative solution to win the upcoming Test matches.
Bazball Did Not Bear The Results
Bazball approach which was christened when Brendon McCullum, the Former New Zealand player assumed leadership as a head coach for England in May. He and Stokes executed tactics that proved successful, they won 11 out of 13 Test matches. However, the strategies failed against Australia in the first Test of Ashes 2023, as England lost by 2 wickets at Edgbaston on Tuesday, and the Aussies gave a massive warning to England that they will not fall under the ‘Bazball’ approach.
Barring Johnny Bairstow and Joe Root none of the other batters were able to consume 70 or more runs in the first innings, the middle order were soundly defeated even the Skipper failed to produce results. Although, England opted a new way of playing Test Cricket, Australia showed the merits of playing the traditional way. Usman Khawaja who notched up a ton in the first innings and made 65 runs in the second displayed the real essence of Test cricket.
England started off formidable in the opening session and took an aggressive approach, the openers came and looked for boundaries, did not try to settle on the crease. Even Joe Root in the second innings was seen playing assertive and got dismissed by stumping the first time in his Test Career so far. This approach was improbable in red-ball cricket as it’s more methodical to play gradual and tactfully.
The issue with Bazball is that, despite its focus on providing entertainment, the constant emphasis on an accelerated game actually limits its adaptability. In a five-day match where circumstances and field conditions vary, and formidable opponents like world champions Australia possess the resources to respond effectively, there are instances where it becomes necessary to reset and start anew.
Rather than sticking to a common style of playing, a team should be open to adapt and adjust to new situations and circumstances, England made a mistake and Bazball proved to be inflexible. Stokes even faced backlashes for declaring the match at 393/8 whence they already have two set batters on the field, which again mounts speculations on their techniques.
“We Didn’t Need Bazball To Defeat Australia..” – Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain also opines that ‘Bazball’ approach is not evidently required. He stated while talking to Sky Sports:
“Remember, we’ve beaten Australia in England since 2001 playing the old-fashioned way — we didn’t need Bazball to beat Australia. The only thing I’ll say is they showed why they’re world Test champions and the No.1 side in the world. They’ve got some serious players and some seriously tough players as well.” said Nasser Hussain.
“I think England have got the most questions to answer. Their style of play: Is it going to hold up in an Ashes series? By no means am I saying that England’s method is wrong, I have loved watching them play, but it just goes to show there is more than one way to skin a cat. This is a long and hard game. Australia’s method has stood up and it has worked” he added.
However, the Bazball approach has led England to numerous victories in the past, it would be unjust to claim that the approach has not paid any dividends. But the question lies whether this approach is flexible or not? Is this technique required in each and every condition? these are the questions that are worth considering for England to win in the upcoming test matches.
The second Test of the Marquee Ashes 2023, is going to commence from 28th June onwards, at Lord’s.
Also Read: Ashes 2023: “I Think Boland’s Got To Play..” Says Allan Border