‘Bazball against Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar…’: Hussain says Stokes’ England will face ‘sternest’ test in India
After England staged a stunning comeback from 0-2 down to draw the five-match Ashes series against Australia 2-2 – they could well have won the series if rain hadn’t played spoilsport in the fourth Test – the curiosity around Bazball style of cricket has only grown. Despite losing the first two Tests, England never deterred from their attacking brand of cricket and the results followed. The Ben Stokes-led side have now successfully got results with Bazball against New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia.
Rohit Sharma (L) and Ravichandran Ashwin (R), of India(AFP)
Next up is India, perhaps the roadblock of England’s Bazball. India are yet to lose a series at home since 2012. Incidentally, the last team to beat India in their own backyard was England. But the then-Alastair Cook-led team played a completely different brand of cricket and even though it had flamboyant players like Kevin Pietersen it is still some steps behind the current lot, at least in terms of attacking approach.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that the tour of India will pose the next biggest challenge to “Bazball”.
“It’s (India) the next test for Bazball,” Hussain said on The ICC Review. Hussain spoke on the lines of England captain Stokes, who tackled the ‘will Bazball work in India’ question in his own style. “I remember when we beat New Zealand 3-0, (the chatter) was we couldn’t do it against South Africa, (we) couldn’t do it against Pakistan, (we) couldn’t do it against Australia. So who knows if we can do it against India, only time will tell,” Stokes said.
Hussain agreed that it will be the sternest challenge to play attacking cricket on spin-friendly tracks in India. “They said Bazball will work against one side, then they moved on to the next side. Then they moved on to New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan. The next challenge is India and everyone knows India in India is one of the sternest challenges in Test match cricket.”
Hussain indicated he was keen to know how “Bazball” will work against the likes of India’s ace spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
“It’s Bazball against spin. Bazball against Ravi Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel and that is going to be fascinating.”
‘Anderson key after Broad’s retirement’: Hussain
As far as England’s bowling attack is concerned, the former batter said the role of legendary pacer James Anderson will be very important, now that Stuart Broad has retired.
“Jimmy’s (Anderson) got a very good record against India… and you need a balanced attack. You need that experience for younger players to come in,” Hussain said.
Anderson has a good record against India, with six of his 32 five-wicket hauls in Tests coming against them. His average in the Asian country (29.32) is decent in comparison to other places he has played in.
“Listen, Jimmy’s had a bad or an average couple of months, but you are a fool if you’re writing off Jimmy Anderson. I spoke to him in an interview and he was like, the hunger is still there. He’s already thinking about how to get back to his best,” added Hussain.
Hussain added that with the Ashes now history, Anderson was looking ahead to newer challenges and aiming to hit the nets soon.
“He’s already thinking about going back in the nets and working hard at his game and that’s a good sign for me that he’s still got that hunger. He’s, what, 10 wickets away from 700 (Test wickets), and that will keep him going for a while yet.”
England have been hit by a spate of retirements, notably by all-rounder Moeen Ali and pacer Broad. But Hussain felt that while the absence of the two stalwarts will be felt, the team has depth in their bowling ranks to perform well in India.
“I think especially with Broad going, I would like that experience (of Anderson in India).”
“(All-rounder) Chris Woakes has stated that he’s not that keen anymore of playing away from home and his record’s not great away from home. We’ll see, he (Woakes) might change his mind. There’s been a lot of mind changes recently. But if you don’t have Woakes and you don’t have Broad, you will need that experience of someone like Jimmy Anderson,” added Hussain.
