Ashes 2023: In an interview with The Grade Cricketer YouTube channel, Cameron Green discussed his thoughts on Bazball, England’s taxing cricket plan for the 2023 Ashes. At one point in the series, Australia had a commanding 2-0 lead. However, England staged a miraculous recovery, taking two of the final three Tests. However, Australia kept the urn thanks to a scoreless draw at Old Trafford.
In three Tests, Cam Green scored 103 runs at a 20.60 average and collected five wickets at 47. In retrospect, he found playing Bazball to be psychologically draining. Green explained, saying that Bazball was psychologically draining because of its rapid speed. It was psychologically exhausting for the team to keep looking forward to see what England might do to the scoreboard. Green saw openings despite England’s aggressive batting style. However, it frequently seemed like they were gaining the upper hand because of the quick accumulation of runs on flat wickets.
Green said that even a decent score of 350 on such surfaces would seem insufficient to him. The incessant ticking of the scoreboard gave the impression of being left behind, making it difficult to keep up. As Green pointed out, the quick tempo of the game left little room for strategic thought, which contributed to the players’ mental weariness. Quick thinking and action in response to England’s aggressive play style was crucial.
Ashes 2023: Cameron Green Recalls The Effect Of Bazball On Australian Players
He said: “I think it was just mentally exhausting in a way, just so much was happening so quick! I feel like you always pass your mind forward an hour’s time on what their score could be.
If you slowed everything down, they gave us a lot of chances for how many runs they were getting. But you just saw [how fast] the score kept ticking over, you just thought they were so far ahead of the game on such a flat wicket that we played most of the time on you’d actually be very happy to get them out for 350. At times you just saw the scoreboard getting away from you so quick that you felt you’re so far behind the game, where if you actually took a step back…we were actually quite happy with them getting 350 [on those pitches]. I think that was what probably was mentally exhausting, the game was moving so quickly you didn’t have time to think.”
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Overall, Cam Green’s explanation of Bazball helped to illuminate the mental toll it had taken on the 2023 Australian Ashes squad. While England’s strategy did provide some openings, the game’s frenetic pace left the Australians psychologically exhausted as they chased the scoreboard the whole time. The series will never be the same, and the addition of this new element of drama to an already exciting competition is a testament to the impact it had.
