Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: August 08, 2023 | 
| 中文
England's Joe Root plays a ramp shot during first Ashes Test (Picture credits to ESPNCricinfo)
In this recently concluded Ashes Series, Australian opener Usman Khawaja scored 496 runs and England’s opening batter Zak Crawley accumulated 480 runs at an average of 49.60 and 53.33 respectively. While these numbers may look somewhat identical, they are not. The major point of departure in their runs is the strike rate at which they were scored: Khawaja played 1266 balls across the five matches of the Series, to score 496 runs at a strike rate of 39.27, while Crawley played only 541 balls to score 480 runs, with a strike rate of 88.72. Both players were exceptional in their own ways, and their batting style depicted their team’s mindset. While Crawley was playing the way he was instructed to, i.e., the attacking brand of cricket, Khawaja was in the classic test cricket mode that was required of him.
England's Staurt Broad and Australia's Usman Khawaja during the first Ashes test
England under Ben Stokes’s captaincy and Brendon McCullum’s coaching has revolutionized the way Test cricket is being played, and how it is perceived by cricket enthusiasts around the world. England’s cricketing philosophy under “BazBall” (Stokes and McCulum) has revolved around eliminating the fear of losing and aiming always at winning. The trick has done wonders for the English side, as it has won 13 out of 18 Tests, after adopting the new attacking approach and losing only 4. What is commendable is that before Stokes took the reins of captaincy, England had lost 11 and won only 3 out of its last 18 Tests, with almost the same core of players.
English players, including Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jhonny Bairstow
England’s attacking approach towards Test cricket bore fruit against Australia in the recently concluded Ashes Series, although Australia retained the ‘urn’ by drawing the series by 2-2. From losing the first two Tests to drawing the Series, England’s positive approach towards the game has been spectacular, to say the least, as it did not change its method even after losing the first two tests.
England scored at a brisk pace during this Ashes Series, with 4.74 runs per over, while Australia went the traditional way, with 3.35 runs per over. The difference in run rate (1.39 runs per over) is the highest difference in run rate in a test series, consisting of four or more matches. England has far better stats than Australia in almost every aspect: England's strike rate of 74.14 is far better than Australia's 51.19, its average of 34.35 vs. 29. 94, dot balls percentage of 60.3 against Australia's 75.13, and balls per boundary of 11.38 as compared to the Aussies' 14.7. Only one Australian player managed to score three hundred runs this Ashes with a strike rate of 70, while five English players did so. All this data proves that England’s ‘Bazballers’ succeeded in their approach, and those who were saying that it will not work against Australia’s quality fast bowlers were underestimating the English batters. They have now the last fortress to conquer: India, which they are going to face in January next year. With the Stokes’ era scoring rate of 4.82 runs per over, from June 2022 to July 2023, I would not be surprised if England’s tactics work in the spinning tracks of India as well.
Batting stats of England and Australia in Ashes 2023 (Picture credits to ESPNCricinfo)
England’s policy of supporting players through thick and thin, so that they eliminate the fear of losing their spot in the team, is part and parcel of their new policy. Zak Crawley was averaging 28.26 with the bat before the Ashes, and had only one 50-plus score in his last eight innings, but England persisted with him and it came off handsomely. England's coach defended his selection by arguing that they are looking at what a player is capable of and what he can offer to the team as a whole, not just stats.
Pakistan cricket team, in the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, adopted an attacking approach and played with positive intent, which their coach termed ‘The Pakistan Way’. Pakistan's scoring rate was 4.06 (second highest scoring rate by any visiting side in Sri Lanka in history), uncharacteristic of Pakistan, which is known for its traditional and ‘slow and steady wins the race’ approach in Test cricket. When Pakistan team director, Mickey Arthur, announced in May that they will be redefining the brand of cricket Pakistan was playing, many considered it a political statement. The statement announced that Pakistan will be aiming at "Winning while having our own culture, our own brand of cricket, and our own style. We will not be satisfied with wins without that culture in the team". The only time Pakistan scored at a faster rate than against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series, was against India in 2005 in the flat tracks of Faisalabad and Lahore. Pakistan stood seventh in the last ICC Test Championship, and it was clear that a shift in policy was needed and Pakistan delivered in the opening series of the new cycle with a bang, taking inspiration from the English side, which had thrashed it last winter.
Team Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series
One question that remains to be seen is whether the English approach is going to change Test cricket forever, or is it going to revert to the classic 'leave the good balls' approach, once the current administration is not in place in England. As the longer formats of cricket (Test and ODIs) are losing their viewership to the increasingly popular T20 leagues, England's approach could be a good way to bring back cricket fans to the longer formats. While it is also true that cricket aficionados who have a craze for the game, will never cease to watch Test cricket, especially, if it is a series like Ashes. Following a five-day match, checking scorecards every morning and night, watching classic batters leaving good balls masterfully to the frustration of bowlers and hitting exquisite shots through cover, is the drug cricket addicts take.
India’s Virat Kohli plays a cover drive, while England’s Jhonny Bairstow is behind the stumps
Test cricket is considered to be the real test of any player’s temperament, technique, game awareness and fitness, as the five-day long match requires players to concentrate on the game, make long-term plans, focus on their strengths and the opponents’ weaknesses, and plan their strategy accordingly. The English approach of attacking cricket is a welcome, interesting and intriguing tactic in the history of Test matches, which will help in redefining the game according to the needs of modern days.
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