People hold on to your seats because space is shaking from what is happening in our backyard! England’s disruptive Bazball concept, which has been heart-pounding and nerve-racking for centuries, suddenly finds itself under the glare of the light after a thumping 434-run loss to Asia’s armored juggernaut in Rajkot. This crushing defeat has triggered an avalanche of backlash, with so-called legends of the sport pointing their fingers toward the aggressive strategy supported by the present English leadership.
The leading hope for us is no other than our ex-England captain, Michael Vaughan, who speaks with the power of more than a thousand balls. In his article for the legendary Daily Telegraph, Vaughan remarked that ‘Bazball’ has definitely caused an adrenaline rush, but now is the time for its pound of flesh, and to achieve a series victory, ‘We have to be better than this… As a team, we are judged by the series of results.
Unknown to mince words, Michael Atherton was included in the crowd to comment on the odd self-delusion that seemed to fill Ben Duckett in his ambitious comment that he would chase any total in the third evening. Reviewing for the Times, Atherton found a balance here, “One can appreciate the positivity and playfulness of some… but put them up against their display of occasional self-delusion.” His tone was in line with the need for a more deliberate management of resources, while the profligacy felt in Rajkot sounded like a distant echo.
In the English Daily, Nasser Hussain, another icon of the England cricket creed, expressed concern about the emergence of the “Bazball” fad in a scenario where everyone is easily tempted into thinking that it is the superior way to play. “If England don’t touch the nuances, Bazball just becomes a league that can’t be challenged,” he proclaimed, sponsoring the strategic review of recent performances to discover where the possible improvisations could be effected without forsaking the general philosophy.
The air was thick with discord; the umpiring juries themselves designed to interject. English official Richard Kettleborough took to the digital airwaves with a pithy epitaph: “Bazball. England is rubbished.”
The tournament’s fate now hinges on the final match, whereas India leads the series 2-1; clearly, the cricket world stands on the verge of an exciting crossroads. Will a new breath of life into England’s approach in Rajkot, or will the cry for a more pedestrian and less showy style bring about a maturation from the ashes? The outcome of the ‘Bazball’ approach is yet to be written down, but one thing is without doubt: the tale got a big dash of intrigue, boiling the fans’ seats in search of the following ‘Bazball’ twist.
