England's aggressive approach in Tests came under scanner after the side faced a two-wicket loss against Australia in the opening match of the Ashes series at Edgbaston. The decision to declare their innings at 393/8 on the very first day of the Test, in hindsight, was particularly criticised by many former cricketers and fans alike, even as the duo of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum defended it following the loss.
Ever since Stokes' ascension to captaincy and the appointment of McCullum, England have adopted an aggressive brand of cricket in the longest format – more commonly referred to as ‘Bazball’ – and achieved considerable success with it. It was expected that England won't drift away from their approach in the high-octane Ashes series, but former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that one needs to adapt according to opponents.
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Butt, on his official YouTube channel, expressed his displeasure at England's declaration call in the Edgbaston Test and stated that Stokes and co. took Australia “lightly,” which led to their downfall. The former Pakistan also believed that England were “arrogant” in their declaration.
“You have to adapt. There are no guarantees that everyone will score, just because you have batting depth. If you're set, you have to score big. You can't rely on others. Everyone is aggressive, some overly-aggressive. A batsman is playing on 130, he's set, you have 10-odd overs, you're on 393, have a chance to add 50-60 runs more, so why did you declare?” Butt asked.
{{/usCountry}}“You have to adapt. There are no guarantees that everyone will score, just because you have batting depth. If you're set, you have to score big. You can't rely on others. Everyone is aggressive, some overly-aggressive. A batsman is playing on 130, he's set, you have 10-odd overs, you're on 393, have a chance to add 50-60 runs more, so why did you declare?” Butt asked.
{{/usCountry}}“It didn't make sense. You have a five-day Test. They thought they will dismiss Australia early. I think they underestimated the opponents, it was an arrogant declaration. Australia aren't walkovers. In Pakistan, our bowlers were inexperienced. Even if it was our best bowling, even they didn't have that much of experience in Tests. We had three debutants in bowling attack, our emphasis had been on shorter formats. On the other hand, Australia are Test champions, they prefer Test cricket. They are ready to leave IPL for Tests. You can't take that team lightly,” he further said.
Both, Stokes and McCullum have categorically stated that England don't plan to move away from their style of play after the defeat; the second Test of the series begins June 28 at the iconic Lord's stadium in London.