England’s approach in Tests has come under heavy fire following the humiliating defeat in the recently concluded Rajkot Test against India. The approach, popularly called Bazball, has turned out to be highly successful for the English team so far but many believe that the heavy defeat against India is a wake-up call for Ben Stokes & Co.
India inflicted one of the heaviest defeats in the history of Test cricket on England, thrashing them by 434 runs to take the lead in the five-match series. It is India’s biggest win in terms of runs in red-ball cricket. Riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s stunning double-century in the second innings, the hosts set England an improbable target of 557 runs. In reply, the tourists were bowled out for just 122.
Following the heavy defeat, several former cricketers believe that Ben Stokes & Co. cannot rely on a one-dimensional approach in Test cricket and need to play as per the situation. There have been calls from several quarters for the English team to stop being aggressive in all situations. Former England captain Michael Vaughan went as far as saying that England are disrespecting Test cricket by not playing for a draw.
Former captains slams England’s approach:
Michael Vaughan is not the only former English captain to criticize the team’s approach. Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have also come down hard on Stokes & Co. for their one-dimensional approach in red-ball cricket. Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Hussain stated:
“If England don’t consider tweaks, Bazball just becomes a cult that can’t be questioned. I am not asking them to alter their mantra, just to review the last couple of matches and ask themselves: ‘how can we improve?’”
On the other hand, Michael Atherton shared his views on opener Ben Duckett’s “the more the better” comments after the third day regarding a realistic target for his side.
“One can admire the positivity and playfulness of Ben Duckett and this England team — such were his comments on the third evening — while also questioning their occasional self-delusion,” Atherton wrote in the Times.
“Careful husbandry of resources is not the Bazball way. They have been profligate in the extreme in this match, wasting a golden opportunity to build on Duckett’s brilliant second-day hundred and to achieve parity or more on first innings.
They were forced to take some bitter medicine as a consequence on a stifling and totally demoralising fourth day in Rajkot,” he added.
England will be aiming to bounce back in the fourth Test. The penultimate match of the five-match series is scheduled to get underway on February 23 in Ranchi.
