Much like a large majority of cricket fans around the globe, former England captain Joe Root is also a fan of Bazball. Talking to the reporters yesterday, Root went on to reveal his admiration for the concept so much so that he also expressed regret for not applying the same during his captaincy tenure.
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Root, who captained England in Test cricket between 2017-2022, relinquished the leadership position with the national team in tatters. In the last 16 Tests under Root, England lost 11 and won just a lone match. That being said, since then Root has not only excelled as a specialist batter but also successfully managed to adapt to England’s new all-attacking approach.
Under his successor Ben Stokes, Root has scored 1,279 runs at an average of 67.31. His strike rate of 76.35 is a significant increase as compared to his career strike rate of 56.49. Talking particularly about sixes, the right-handed has already smashed 16 maximums under Stokes. In 64 matches as captain, Root had smashed just 10 sixes. His innovative ramp shots have a fan-following of their own.
Joe Root Regretful For Not Applying Bazball As A Captain
Addressing the reporters, Root said that he should have followed the same attacking approach in his captaincy. The English team is flying under Stokes with this mentality and they have turned the tables around in the last one year or so. Root also believed that individuals are being able to express themselves better now.
“If I could go back in time, I’d go back and start my captaincy tenure the way Ben has and try to play in a similar manner to how he does it.”
“It‘s far more exciting, far more interesting and I think we are getting more out of our team and our individuals.”
Even former South African captain AB de Villiers expressed positive views on Bazball of late. England have taken some surprising decisions which may have backfired, but they have made it clear that they will go for results.
Will England Follow Bazball After Losing Birmingham Test?
Root has made it crystal clear that the team will not change their approach in the upcoming second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s. Despite losing the first match in Birmingham, head coach Brendon McCullum felt that the home side managed to trouble the Aussies. If the coach is so much positive after a defeat, the team’s morale is automatically bound to be high.
“Everyone should strap in and expect the same from us. That’s what we’re about as a team. We are going to challenge and compete. We‘re in for a hell of a Test series here.”
Root insisted that the team has sent a strong message to everyone around the world and there is no need to change it. It will be interesting to see if England will be win an Ashes series at home with their current way of playing or not.
