Nasser Hussain lambasts England’s ‘Bazball’ approach, says it’s about individual performances

Hussain stated that the reason James Anderson and R Ravichandran Ashwin are two of the greatest players in the game today is because they are constantly striving for improvement.

Dharamsala: Former England captain Nasser Hussain reflected on England’s 1-4 series loss in India, when the visitors were humbled in Dharamsala by an inning and 64 runs following two batting collapses and said “it is about individual performances in those conditions.”

The former captain defended pitches and praised a depleted Indian team for winning a series for the 17th time in a row at home. A five-wicket haul on his 100th Test by Ravichandran Ashwin broke the back of England’s batting line-up, handing the Three Lions’ ‘Bazball‘ school of cricket a blow as India won the Test by an innings and 64 runs at Dharamsala.

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“The final Test was like the old-school England in India in the last decade or so – it was a very one-sided affair. They were 100-1 on the first morning having won the toss, so to lose so comfortably inside three days was a capitulation – but they had their chances in the series,” Hussain said as quoted by Sky Sports.

In Test matches, it essentially means continuing to dominate periods and preventing the opposition from winning. Since this is England’s first series loss since the period of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, who invented this style of play, they have failed to Bazball in India.

Hussain stated that the reason James Anderson and R Ravichandran Ashwin are two of the greatest players in the game today is because they are constantly striving for improvement. He claimed that England seemed to be lost in the word “Bazball” and that self-improvement has suffered.

“There is too much said and written about Bazball. We get lost in that term and the team do not like it. It is about individual performances in those conditions. The reason James Anderson, who took his 700th wicket in the Test, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who took nine wickets in his 100th Test, have ended up greats of the game is because they are constantly trying to improve,” he added.

“After a poor Ashes series, Jimmy wanted to increase his run-up speed going into the crease, feeling he needed a bit more zip at the age of 41. Ashwin is learning all the time, about seam positions and how to deliver the ball. You also look at Version Two of India spinner Kuldeep Yadav. That is so much better than Version One because he has tried to improve,” Hussain said.

He questioned why certain players stuck to their formula throughout the series, not trying to improve upon it in any way.

“Try to learn why you collapsed. Why does Zak Crawley keep getting starts and then getting out? Does Ben Duckett need to charge the bowler when the ball is so new and spinning? Ollie Pope – a brilliant 196, then nothing else. Look at your own game and improve. That is how you get better as a player and better as a team,” the former England captain said.