It is the English Test revolution that has captivated world cricket but do not expect the Bazball approach to be replicated by Australia any time soon.
England’s thrilling 74-run win over Pakistan on a lifeless Rawalpindi pitch will go down as the best Test of 2022, with the tourists trumping their own efforts on home soil earlier this year.
Taking a no-fear approach to Test cricket, England scored at more than six-an-over in each innings and set a generous declaration target of 343 in four sessions.
The win prompted observers including Mark Waugh to claim the approach had changed the way Test cricket would be played, with England seven-from-eight under coach Brendon McCullum – known as Baz – and captain Ben Stokes.
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The tourists chased down fourth-innings scores of 378, 299 and 296 across their home summer, scoring at close to or above five-an-over in each chase.
Zak Crawley of England bats. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
England’s work has been closely watched by Australia’s team, with ‘Bazball’ jokes made in the nets during the winter and the Rawalpindi Test drawing plenty of attention during the current series against West Indies.
But according to Nathan Lyon, the approach will not be seeping into Australia’s cricket any time soon. “I watched it, it’s bloody exciting,” Lyon said.
“Hats off to Baz and Stokesy going over there. I know what that Rawalpindi wicket is like. They found a way to win a Test over there. But we’ve all got our own ways of playing Test cricket and ours is going alright. We don’t need to change ours at the moment.”
Australia have also made clear they are months away from formulating plans on how to stop England’s all-out approach, with a home summer and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India before then.
And it is unlikely they will be given any kind of early practice against such attacking cricket in Adelaide this week, with West Indies officials equally certain Bazball is not for them.
“You play the best side in the world. You can’t go gung-ho,” assistant Roddy Estwick said.
“I know everyone has seen how England are playing and thinks that’s the way to go. Well that’s the way they want to play, fine by that. But with us, we want to be as patient as possible.
“What they are doing is nothing new. It is surprising that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.
“You play what you see. If you look at that pitch, it was so flat in Pakistan that you could score five runs an over without any problem. When it is nipping around and doing all sorts of things, then it becomes a different ball game.”
Nathan Lyon of Australia celebrates with teammates. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Marnus could cop bumper barrage
Jofra Archer’s one-time bowling mentor claims the English quick would have taken notice of Alzarri Joseph’s bouncer barrage at Marnus Labuschagne in Perth.
Labuschagne will enter the Adelaide Test off the back of a brilliant series opener against West Indies, with scores of 204 and 104no at Optus Stadium.
But it’s the right-hander’s performance in one spell that has West Indies interested.
Bounced by Joseph on the fourth morning, Labuschagne top-edged one ball for six before the next ball clattered off his bat and into his helmet before being caught.
Labuschagne was spared when Joseph overstepped, but West Indies bowling coach Rod Estwick indicated his team planned on replicating the tactic in Adelaide.
“We will have a look,” Estwick said.
“We will see if he is uncomfortable here and then we will try and target them as much as possible.”
And as the man who coached Archer in Barbados as a teenager and regularly stays in contact with the England quick, Estwick claimed it was likely the 27-year-old would go after Labuschagne in next year’s Ashes.
The cricket world is so small now, you can’t hide,” Estwick said.
“And once any team exposes a weakness, the other teams will be having a look.
“I am sure Jofra Archer wherever he is sitting will be having a look and ticking some boxes and things like that. That is the way cricket goes, you cannot hide.
“But if Marnus thinks he has a weakness I am sure he will go away and work on it as well. If you’re a professional cricketer these things happen.”
The West Indian’s comments come after South Africa captain Dean Elgar said “the odd bouncer” appeared the best tactic to knock over Labuschagne in the three Tests this summer.
South Africa will boast one of the world’s most impressive pace attacks when they play in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje.
Labuschagne said after his century he was largely able to isolate the Joseph spell, with Australia chasing quick runs in their second innings.
But the Queenslander added he would be closely working on the short ball.
“A lot of the West Indian bowlers bowl from really wide of the crease, so sometimes that angle is quite tough to get inside the line of the ball,” Labuschagne said.
“When guys bowl a bit tighter to the stumps, it is easier to get your head on the inside of the ball so you can duck or get on the top of the ball.
“It’s one I am always going to be looking at.
“Looking at some of my pull shots, making sure I am opening my left hip up to access the ball. Making sure I am getting on top of the bounce.”
(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
Illness can’t keep Root down during Test
James Anderson has revealed team-mate Joe Root was “puking up throughout the game” as England secured a remarkable 74-run victory in the final session of day five of the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Approximately 13 to 14 members of the travelling group were affected by a viral infection, with around half that number members of the playing squad on the eve of the game, and questions were raised over postponing the start of the match by a day.
On the morning of the game, England handed a surprise debut cap to Will Jacks, with Ben Foakes unable to take the field due to illness.
Root had been one of the few to train the day before the start of the match, but Anderson explained he had been sick throughout the game, and said the week had been challenging.
“I can’t really put it into words because it’s hard. It was an awful start to the week,” the 40-year-old said.
“Actually, the morning of the game, not knowing if we’re going to get 11 players on the field or going to bed the night before not knowing if we’re going to wake up and there’s going to be enough fit players.
“But then the way the lads have just stood up and just cracked on really, there’s been no whinging.
“Rooty has been off the field every half an hour puking up throughout the game, which was an amazing effort from him to bat the way he did.”
Dean Jones famously vomited on field as the heat took its toll during his memorable double-century in the tied Test in India in 1986.
Root scored 73 runs from 68 balls as England scored an impressive 264 runs in 35.5 overs at a run rate of more than 7.50 an over in the second innings to set Pakistan 343 to win.
The Yorkshireman even briefly switched to batting left-handed for two balls during his innings in an attempt to disrupt the bowler, showing no obvious signs of discomfort.
Anderson continued: “Then, to be out on the field. An incredible effort from everyone. And I still can’t quite believe we’ve got a result on this pitch. It’s just incredible.”
Anderson has played almost two decades’ worth of Test cricket, but believes England’s victory in Rawalpindi is among the best he has experienced.
England had to toil to claim a result, manufacturing the game with a risky declaration on the fourth evening, inviting Pakistan to push for victory while giving themselves enough time to bowl out the hosts.
The stubbornly flat pitch and rapidly failing light on the final day added further pressure on England as they pushed for victory, and Anderson praised the effort of the entire team.
“The lads are saying that is the best away victory but I can’t remember many better than that at home either to be honest,” he said.
Jack Leach is mobbed after taking the last wicket. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
“To force the result on that wicket just took an absolutely mammoth effort from everyone, the way we batted in the first innings, 650-odd runs in 100-odd overs was outstanding. And everyone contributed to that, which is great.
“We knew we were going to declare and have a bowl of them that night (on the fourth day). We didn’t necessarily think it would be at tea. But the way we batted allowed us to declare at tea and dangle them a carrot, which on this wicket, I think we needed to do.
“Because, as we saw at the back end of the day when they’ve just dead-batted it, it was very hard to get anything out of it.
“We knew it was going to be a nervy one. But the way we stuck at our task was just brilliant.”
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