Former Australian captain Ian Chappell was skeptical of England star Joe Root’s adoption of the much-discussed Bazball batting style, despite the fact that he already had an excellent record playing that manner.
The 33-year-old was removed for a reverse scoop against Jasprit Bumrah at the worst possible time, sparking an English collapse in the first innings of the just finished third Test against India in Rajkot. With England on 224/2, Root’s departure saw them lose their last eight wickets for 95 runs, being bowled out for 319 and giving up a 126-run advantage.
Speaking to World Wide Sports, Chappell believes that prepared shots are never appropriate in Test cricket, especially for someone like Root, who scores rapidly in his customary style.
“Root had a bloody fine record playing normally, and he was a quick scorer playing normally. I don’t see why he’s trying to change things drastically, and I’ve never believed you should play premeditated shots,” said Chappell.
Contrary to popular opinion, Root has averaged above 50, a bit higher than his overall average of 49.32, since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach in mid-2022 and instituted the Bazball technique of attacking batting.
However, the champion batsman has struggled significantly in the present series against India, hitting only 77 runs at an average of less than 13. England trail the five-match series 1-2 following defeats in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot.
“It’s got to be according to the conditions and also who’s bowling” – Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell advocated top-order hitters having an aggressive approach, but he believed it should be timed dependent on the game circumstances and the bowler in question.
While England has won 14 of 21 Tests since implementing the Bazball strategy, they have seen batting collapses owing to dubious shot selection.
On batting aggressively in Tests, Chappell stated:
“You can’t always do it – it’s got to be according to the conditions and also who’s bowling. Some bowlers you can score off a lot quicker than others, but when a really good bowler is bowling a good spell, you’ve got to be prepared to try and battle it out and think to yourself ‘Well, when he goes off, it’ll get a bit easier.”
Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell added:
“You’re always trying to score runs – that’s got to be your prime aim. But, you’ve also got to rerealizen some conditions, against some bowlers you can score quicker than others.”
Ian Chappell
Despite his recent troubles, Root has a respectable 49.32 average in 138 Tests, including 30 hundreds.
The Bazball strategy has also increased the overall batting averages of openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, among others in the English lineup.