Has Bazball come unstuck? Did India expose Bazball in Rajkot? How atrocious was Joe Root’s reverse scoop that triggered England’s collapse?
The Rajkot defeat was only the 6th defeat England have faced in 21 Tests under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, to go with 14 wins. But this was no ordinary defeat. This was the second-biggest defeat for England – by 434 runs – in their Test history, and this was India’s biggest win in terms of runs.
England were going gung-ho by stumps on Day 2 when Ben Duckett smashed an 88-ball century. However, from the dismissal of Joe Root in the first half an hour on Day 3, India took control and never let it loose.
For the past two years, everyone in the English cricket fraternity – their fans, media, and former cricketers – have hyped – even over-hyped – and championed the cause of Bazball to a massive extent. But this loss, and the manner of it as England slipped away astonishingly, led to plenty of scathing remarks.
Here are the 5 most critical remarks and comments against Bazball from English media and former cricketers:
Joe Root played the “the worst, most stupid” shot: Scyld Berry
Among the most viral criticism of Joe Root’s shot selection came from The London Telegraph’s writer Scyld Berry, who wrote that Root’s reverse-scoop dismissal off Jasprit Bumrah was “the worst, most stupid, shot in the history of England’s Test cricket,” adding that Root had committed as “cardinal sin”. Berry explained Root should have reined in the first hour of the day, not least against Bumrah, as the pitch was good and he could have scored a lot of runs later on.
“Inexplicable,” “embarrassing”: Geoffrey Boycott
Legendary England batsman Geoffrey Boycott, who has often raved Root’s skillset in Test cricket, lamented the shot was “inexplicable” and “embarrassing” when speaking on the Telegraph Sport.
“It looks clever when it comes off,” Boycott said. “When it doesn’t, it’s embarrassing and you look a chump. What a wasted wicket by such a talented player.”
“England have learnt nothing from the Ashes”: Michael Vaughan
Even Michael Vaughan has come out swinging against the Bazballers. Vaughan pointed out that England had lost a similar Test at Lord’s in the last Ashes series when Australia lost Nathan Lyon mid-game due to injury – here Ashwin missed a day due to a family emergency – and both times England collapsed: at Lord’s they played shots to short-pitch bowling when they could have played it out with some patience and smartly cashed in later when the bowlers get tired.
Vaughan said, “It shows England have learnt nothing from the Ashes. The collapse that followed was reminiscent of Lord’s, when Nathan Lyon hobbled off with England 182 for one, and they gifted them all those wickets. That’s why they lost that Test.
“When the message came through that Ashwin had gone, I bet no one mentioned Lord’s, because that’s deemed negative, and not the right message. That is claptrap. It’s called common sense, and learning from the mistakes of the past. No great sporting team has ever not learnt from past mistakes and improved. The coaches and senior players need to be having some tougher conversations to ensure they learn.”
“The Bazball approach is at a crossroads”: Jonathan Agnew
Veteran BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew, too, now hinted at being skeptical about the Bazball approach, especially when England play stronger teams like India and Australia, and demanded the team be more “sensible”.
“From the start I have been very positive about their so-called Bazball approach,” Jonathan Agnew wrote. “But now, after England’s largest defeat in terms of runs since World War Two, the Bazball approach is at a crossroads. If you want to be successful against the best teams you cannot play like that all the time.
“If you do you will lose and lose by 434 runs, as England did in Rajkot. Their attacking style should not be binned altogether, of course. But now is the time for this team to be more sensible, more flexible, in how they play.”
“England have been poor with the bat”: Alastair Cook
Former England captain and batting great Alastair Cook, in his casual yet clear manner, opined that England were “poor” with the bat on days 3 and 4 of the match as their collapse in the first innings and were bundled for 122 in the second.
Cook said, “Is it an opportunity lost? England have been poor with the bat – they’ve lost eight wickets for 116 today and you don’t win many matches when you collapse like that in the first innings.”
India lead the series 2-1. The fourth Test starts on Friday in Ranchi.
Also Read: ‘It’s Tragic’: Sanjay Manjrekar Unhappy With Ravindra Jadeja Getting Man Of The Match Award
