Michael Vaughan voiced apprehension over Bazball’s effectiveness in India, cautioning that the ultra-aggressive approach of Stokes and team might falter against quality Indian spinners.
When speaking with Fox Sports, Michael Vaughan expressed skepticism regarding England’s ‘Bazball’ strategy surviving on spin-friendly Indian pitches against Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel ahead of the five-match Test series starting January 25, 2024. Despite England’s recent impressive red-ball performances under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, Vaughan highlighted their vulnerability against quality spinners, recalling their struggle against Nathan Lyon during the Ashes in conditions unsupportive of spin.
“If you add in Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel on spinning wickets in India, they may get blown away, they may get absolutely destroyed. They will go out and play exactly the same way, we’ve already spoken about the impact they are going to try and achieve in India with the way they play,” said Vaughan.
“It will be great watching, but you will have to fancy three quality spinners might do a job on England when one quality spinner in Nathan Lyon did the job in English conditions. It’s going to be very tough for them to win in India,” he added.
Despite expressing some concerns about Bazball’s success in India, Vaughan also praised its impact on Test cricket. He lauded England for their approach during the Ashes, asserting that even the Australians admired their bold style.
“I’m a huge admirer of Bazball, I think it’s been a revelation in the last 18 months and there’s not one Australian that can look me in the eye and say they didn’t admire the way England played in the Ashes. All right they didn’t win the Ashes but the way England went about their cricket was fantastic, everyone loved watching them play, it’s risky, at times it is bonkers. There are times where it is absolutely crackers but it’s great to watch and I’ve not met one Australian, they have enjoyed watching them play,” he concluded.
Last Updated on December 12, 2023
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