England batting legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott has expressed reservations over England’s Bazball stuff aimed at “entertaining” the fans and taking the draw out of the equation, after England’s loss in the first Ashes 2023 Test, at Edgbaston, where Pat Cummins‘ side emerged victorious in a thrilling contest that went into the last hour of the match.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott opined that the England team seems to “have got carried away with Bazball” and think that “entertaining is more important than winning”. While fans loved the Test match, with England scoring at a high rate and Australia grinding in attritional Test match fashion, some ex-English cricketers including Boycott are left unimpressed with this ideology of Ben Stokes, McCullum, and their team that winning is now not as important as entertainting.
England have not held the Ashes since the 2017 series – that’s the last three series where Australia have won or retained the Urn. Boycott said he’d “feel sick” if Australia go away with the Ashes once again, no matter how much England entertain their fans.
Geoffrey Boycott Slammed Ben Stokes And Brendon McCullum For BazBall
“England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning,” the 82-year-old wrote in the Telegraph. “But England supporters want one thing more than anything else – to win the Ashes. Scoring fast runs, whacking lots of fours and sixes is lovely. It is great. But only if England do not lose sight of the big prize which is to beat Australia. If at the end of the series Australia go home with the Ashes we will feel sick, regardless of how much we have been entertained.”
Heading into the Ashes 2023 series, England, under Stokes and McCullum, had won 11 Tests and lost 2 Test and none ended in a draw. This loss would sting England as they came close to bowling Australia out in the second innings, but a terrific stand between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, the pair adding 55* (72) for the 9th wicket in Australia’s chase of 281, took Australia to a 1-0 series lead in Birmingham.
This loss further put in light Ben Stokes’ declaration on Day 1 at the score of 393/8 with Root and Robinson batting well in the middle.
“They are in danger of letting hubris be their downfall or, quoting William Shakespeare in Hamlet, being hoist by one’s own petard. They are going to defeat themselves. It would be sad if playing exciting cricket for a year is going to their heads.”
“By all means entertain but cricket is like chess. There are moments when you need to defend. Sometimes you need to be patient and accept it. Do not just attack, attack, attack. England need a bit of common sense and pragmatism,” he added.
The players will get a full week’s break after the first Test. The second Ashes Test, at Lord’s, will begin on June 28.
