Since England’s defeat against Australia in Birmingham, the Bazball approach is being talked about a lot. The way England declared their first innings raised quite a few eyebrows. Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has now revealed the ultra-aggressive way of the home side is actually helping the visitors.
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Under the coaching of Brendon McCullum and the leadership of Ben Stokes, England have revolutionized the game. They have attracted fans towards Test cricket. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was quite critical of England’s way of playing after the first Ashes Test.
However, the English players have made it clear that they won’t change their methodology. Opener Zak Crawley has even predicted a huge win of over 150 runs for the hosts. Former captain Joe Root has also declined the idea of changing their way, he even regrets not using Bazball in his captaincy.
Marnus Labuschagne Reveals How Bazball Is Actually Helping Australia in Ashes 2023
Addressing the reporters, Labuschagne talked about how Bazball is beneficial for the visitors. He cited the example of Root’s dismissal in the second innings at Edgbaston. Root was looking in great touch but perished in trying to attack off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Labuschagne said that Root could easily have played a big knock in order to push Australia out of the game.
“Him (Root) playing that method and those shots are keeping us in the game. He played an unbelievable innings but he ended up getting 46, and if turns into 80-plus we’re chasing 300 and that’s going to be a pretty big effort.”
“That’s the benefit for us the way they’re playing.”
Even after losing, McCullum called it a win for England. The English players are aware that their method is risky and it can haunt them in precious conditions. Still, they have been successful more often than not and they want to entertain the crowd by playing result-oriented cricket. Former South African captain AB de Villiers also shared his views on the same.
“Overcomplicating Things”: Ricky Ponting’s Analysis of Marnus Labuschagne
Labuschagne is not going through a great patch and Ponting has given him a little advice. Talking to ICC Review, Ponting has said that Labuschagne should stick to basics instead of overcomplicating things. He twice got out to pacer Stuart Broad in Birmingham scoring just 13 runs against both innings.
“I would like to catch up with him and have a chat about his batting because I think what I’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, as far as I’m concerned, I think he’s overcomplicating things a little bit.”
Labuschagne has scored 258 runs in the last ten innings at an average of 32.25. These numbers are quite moderate for a player of his potential. In the next four matches, he would want to improve his performance.
