England have been warned against adopting their 'Bazball' approach in their upcoming Test series against New Zealand away from home. England are on tour of New Zealand for the three-match Test series as a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
The English head into the series after a disappointing loss against Pakistan, away from home. The visitors suffered a 2-1 loss in Pakistan, after taking a 1-0 lead after the inaugural Test in Multan in September.
On the other hand, New Zealand's spirits are high after inflicting a 3-0 whitewash on India in their own backyard. The Blackcaps are fourth on the WTC rankings, while England are sixth.
After contrasting recent results of both teams and with England's backs against the wall, former skipper Michael Vaughan and Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle have handed stern warnings to England's captain-coach duo ahead of the series.
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What did Michael Vaughan say?
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was quite critical of England's 'Bazball' approach, ahead of the New Zealand Test series. While Speaking to Fox Cricket, he said: "The Bazball method (only) works when the ball doesn’t do a great deal, former England captain Michael Vaughan said.
"When the ball is going gun-barrel straight, there is no better team in the world, when the ball is not spinning, there is no better team in the world. But as soon as the ball moves laterally, now again you hide behind the curtains and watch them because you know there’s a collapse just around the corner, the former England skipper slammed the England batters."
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What did Harsha Bhogle say about England playing 'Bazball' in New Zealand?
Indian commentator and expert Harsha Bhogle appeared on Fox Cricket's The Follow-On podcast where he spoke about the shortcomings of Bazball.
Bhogle said, "If there is one place England should adapt to seamlessly, it is New Zealand. It won’t be as hot as anywhere else, and there will be a little bit of seam and nip in the wicket, so if you had to replicate English (conditions) far away from home, the closest you would come is New Zealand."
England have a little less than 50% win rate in Test matches in the last 12 months, winning just nine of their 19 games played. The same metric was at a whopping 85%, with McCullum winning eleven of his first 13 Test matches as England coach.
"I can see what Brendon McCullum is doing and I can see why cricket has become so eye-catching, the manner they’re playing in, but ultimately you play a cricket match to win.
"If the approach is I’m going to be aggressive and throw the bowlers off, so be it, but Test cricket is all about adapting to the conditions which is exactly what we saw in Perth with (Indian players) Jaiswal and Rahul and what we saw with Bumrah and the length that he was bowling," Bhogle added.
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Full schedule: Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, 2024/25
| Test | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | November 28 - December 02, 2024 | 03:30 AM | Christchurch |
| 2nd Test | December 06 - December 10, 2024 | 03:30 AM | Wellington |
| 3rd Test | December 14 - December 18, 2024 | 03:30 AM | Hamilton |
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