India Vs England, Test Series: Cricket Great Slams Visitors' 'Bazball' Approach In 2nd Match Defeat

England great Geoffrey Boycott has launched a scathing attack on 'Bazball' and its perpetrators following the visitors' defeat to India in Visakhapatnam

Outlook Sports Desk

Updated on: 7 February 2024 8:19 pm

IND vs ENG: England great Geoffrey Boycott did not mince his words while speaking about the 'Bazball' approach (Photo: File)

England's defeat to India in the second Test in Visakhapatnam drew out criticisms aplenty, some of which have become synonymous with the Three Lions' reverses of late. The visitors are a known patron of 'Bazball' - a technique titled after their head coach Brendon McCullum and his proclivity to push his team to play positive, aggressive cricket - which did not yield the desired results in the latest match. (More Cricket News)

Writing in a column back home, England great Geoffrey Boycott slammed the T20-esque approach, reprimanding McCullum and captain Ben Stokes for their repeat usage.

"Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are besotted with attack, attack, attack. It's as if they say 'if we can't win, we will go down in glorious failure instead.' But there is no glory in failure or defeat," he wrote for the Telegraph.

Joe Root, in particular, earned Boycott's ire, who was perplexed by the approach the England batter took, which inevitably resulted in him losing his wicket at a key juncture in the tie.

England's Joe Root, front, celebrating the wicket of India's KL Rahul on the fourth day of the first cricket test match between England and India in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. - (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

India Vs England: Root Talks Bazball, Hails Pope Knock

BY PTI

"Bazball is great entertainment when it comes off. But once you believe in an ideal over substance, then you have lost the plot. Today England gave the match away. Bazball was a failure, it cost Joe Root his wicket. As soon as he came in, he was dancing down the pitch trying to hit it over the top and very soon swiped it up in the air,” Boycott added.

“He only scored 16. England's best technical batsman is normally a busy player who scores at a good rate, but trying to go after the bowling as soon as he comes in takes him out of his comfort zone. Twenty20 cricket seems to have got in their head and made them think that every ball must be scored off with an aggressive stroke, sweep, swipe or cross-batted shot.”

England's defeat to India in the second Test was confirmed on the fourth day itself, when the entire Three Lions' pack was sent packing by the hosts for 106 runs short of the mark. Nevertheless, India's triumph only levelled the series, after the visitors had claimed victory in the first match in Hyderabad.