Former England captain Michael Vaughan stated that the Three Lions need to reassess their ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach to Test cricket as it has not yielded the desired results. The cricketer turned pundit pointed out that England have failed to beat India at home, failed to regain the Ashes in two attempts and failed to reach the final of the World Test Championship.
“The way England are playing, that ‘Bazball method’, the ultra-risky, bat-in-hand method hasn’t worked because they haven’t won the big series. They haven’t beaten India. They haven’t beaten Australia. And obviously they’ve lost another Ashes series and they’re nowhere near a World Test Championship final,” Vaughan told Reuters.
“So it is the acceptance of management, the leadership group and the ECB that things have to change,” he added.
The former Yorkshire star said Joe Roots first innings 160 and Jacob Bethell’s composed second innings ton are the batting templates England should follow in the future.
“That’s the pace of batting in Test matches, you just play the ball on merit,” Vaughan said. “They’re all naturally gifted players and they’re going to score points, but the really risky style of play, I’m afraid, hasn’t worked,” Vaughan said.
I hope there will be discussions after the tour to see where everyone sits: Vaughan
England head coach Brendon McCullum’s contract runs until the end of 2027. Vaughan emphasized that a personnel change may not be necessary at this time. Instead, the 51-year-old believes the mentality and approach need to change.
“I hope there will be discussions after the tour to see where everyone sits. If the team wants to stay together, they have to change. It’s not up to everyone to change. It’s up to the leadership group to accept this,” Vaughan opined.
“Stubbornness is a great thing in sport, but it can also be a danger if you think you always get it right. There need to be honest conversations at ECB level about whether they can change and move on from the lessons of this journey,” he added.
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