Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'England want to play a certain style of cricket...': Ashwin's honest criticism of Bazball
Although, Bazball has found apparent success in England with veterans of the nation hailing it as the future in red-ball cricket, senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has his doubts as he gave his honest verdict on the approach.
When the moneyball theory was put into reality in baseball, the use of numbers and statistics to redefine the game had its own critics and supporters before it went on to change the sport. Bazball, a concept of aggressive cricket in Test format introduced by England under head coach Brendon McCullum, is still a very fresh concept. And although, it has found apparent success in England with veterans of the nation hailing it as the future in red-ball cricket, senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has his doubts as he gave his honest verdict on the approach.
Unlike in baseball, conditions and pitch matter or affect the outcome of every choice or strategy put into play. Bazball is to be tested in every condition and that is where Ashwin feels that "it will falter". Although the approach has worked wonders in England, the veteran India cricketer feels that conditions tend to define the approach of a team and that is where stylesheet takes a backseat.
“You can’t whack as you do in a T20. Secondly, we now have a concept called Bazball. England is playing fast-paced Test match cricket,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“They want to play a certain style of cricket. But in certain types of wickets, when you try and attack every ball, you will falter. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach. Sometimes, on the wicket, conditions need to be respected,” he added.
Ashwin further explained his point with the advice of his former coach. "WV Raman used to tell me, “Hello, mister. Don’t challenge the conditions. Will you go to a beach and start swimming as you do in a swimming pool? You can’t, right? Likewise, if you should respect the pitch and play accordingly, the pitch will also respect you.”
England are yet to apply their approach in Indian conditions with the Ben Stokes-led side set to tour India for a five-match Test series in 2024.
