Geoffrey Boycott, who spoke about England’s loss, attacked the Bazball’s tactic the team employed, stating that although captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are focused on attacking, there is no glory in losing.
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott attacked the country’s baseball strategy following their 106-run defeat in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Jasprit Bumrah (3/46) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/72) shone with the ball for India as they bowled India out for 292 against a notable mark of 399 set for the Ben Stokes-led team in the fourth inning.
Geoffrey Boycott, who spoke about England’s loss, attacked the Bazball’s tactic the team employed, stating that although captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are focused on attacking, there is no glory in losing.
“Ben Stokes and Brendan McCullum are obsessed with attacking, attacking, attacking. They seem to be saying, “If we are not able to win, we will instead fall into glorious failure.” However, Boycott stated in his column for The Telegraph that there is no glory in losing or failing.
Geoffrey Boycott went on to say that Joe Root, England’s best technical hitter, played outside of his comfort zone and gave away his wicket, which cost his team the match.
When it works, Bazball’s is a really entertaining game.
But you’ve lost the narrative as soon as you prioritize an ideal over reality. England handed away the contest today. Joe Root lost his wicket as a result of the botched baseball move. He was dancing down the field as soon as he arrived, attempting to hit it over the top, but he quickly swiped it up in the air,” he continued.
He received a mere 16. The finest technical batsman for England is usually a busy player who makes runs quickly, but he is uncomfortable trying to attack the bowling as soon as he enters the field. He continued, “It seems that Twenty20 cricket has taken hold of them, and they now believe that every ball needs to be scored off with an aggressive stroke, sweep, swipe, or cross-batted shot.
During the tenure of Stokes and McCullum, Joe Root averaged 52.63.
Notably, Joe Root hasn’t been playing at his best in the series thus far, managing to score 52 runs at an average of 13 across four innings. The Indian seamer has caused Jasprit Bumrah, a right-handed batsman, to lose his wicket twice. The 33-year-old has been in incredible form for the last four years, dominating the longest format in run scoring since 2020.
Root’s Test scores haven’t decreased under Stokes-McCullum’s leadership either; he has amassed 1579 runs from 35 innings at an average of 52.63 and a strike rate of 75.01, including five hundred and seven fifties. He averages 43.65, but he’s been having trouble finding his rhythm on India’s twisting circuits.
With the series poised at 1-1, England may alter their strategy ahead of the third Test, which starts on February 15 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. They want to give their best hitter the freedom to play how he wants.
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