Sunil Gavaskar Criticises England’s Bazball In Ashes 2023: Sunil Gavaskar, the revered former Indian captain, has been vocal in his criticism of England’s Bazball approach in the ongoing Ashes 2023. The English team suffered heavy defeats in the first two matches against a formidable Australian side. Gavaskar shared his observations following Australia’s victories by two wickets and 43 runs respectively, emphasizing that a T20 style approach can’t triumph over a top-notch Australian bowling lineup featuring cricket stalwarts like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon.
In his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar shed light on his perspective. He stated, “As for Bazball, forget it. It happened against lesser-quality bowling, but against a top-class Australian attack it’s back to good old grinding batting and not T20 shots. Test cricket is, after all, Test cricket.” Essentially, the cricket icon was asserting that the demands of Test cricket are far different from those of a T20 match, and England’s aggressive approach was misplaced.
Furthermore, Gavaskar praised the Australian team for swiftly identifying the flaws in England’s Bazball strategy. He complimented the Australian fast bowlers for their tactical adaptation, capitalizing on short deliveries to unsettle the English batters, despite playing in away conditions. He elaborated, “While the Australian attack was certainly taken by surprise at the approach of the England batters in the first Test match, they quickly regathered themselves and realized that this Bazball approach couldn’t succeed against their attack consistently.”
Sunil Gavaskar takes a dig at England’s Bazball In Ashes 2023
Delving deeper into his analysis, Gavaskar argued that Australia’s swift adjustment in bowling strategy caught England off guard. The Australian bowlers started aiming shorter, focusing on the batsman’s ribcage and helmet, a move that the English batters struggled to cope with. As a result, Australia dominated the first two Test matches with relative ease. Gavaskar noted, “They also learned that bowling short to the English batters was going to get them wickets rather than the pitched-up deliveries which the batters were prepared for. Suddenly, with having to play the ball around their ribcage and helmets, the English batsmen found they couldn’t quite cope with it and so Australia went two up without too much trouble.”
In sum, Gavaskar’s critique serves as a stark reminder that the finesse and endurance demanded by Test cricket cannot be replaced by the aggressiveness associated with T20 style of play. This lesson rings true, especially when facing a robust and tactically astute bowling lineup like Australia’s. As the series progresses, it will be interesting to see how England adapts to counter these challenges.
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