Bazball's self-delusion exposed in crushing loss - Mike Atherton

[goose]

This is a joy to read from my favorite cricket writer

 

India vs England: Bazball’s self-delusion exposed in crushing loss

“The more the better. They can have as many as they want and we’ll go and get them.” One can admire the positivity and playfulness of Ben Duckett and this England team — such were his comments on the third evening — while also questioning their self-delusion. You wouldn’t want them in charge of the family exchequer, even so: spend as much as you want my spendthrift wife/son/daughter (delete as applicable) and we’ll earn enough to pay off the debt!

Careful husbandry of resources is not the Bazball way. They have been profligate in the extreme in this match, wasting a golden opportunity to build on Duckett’s brilliant second-day hundred and to achieve parity or more on first innings, and they were forced to take some bitter medicine as a consequence on a stifling and totally demoralising fourth day in Rajkot. They went down in flames by the massive margin of 434 runs.

Duckett had also talked of breaking records on the third evening, and we are, indeed, in record territory. This was India’s biggest victory by runs. England’s biggest defeat by runs was in the timeless Test at the Oval in 1934 against Australia when the margin was 562 runs. Over five days, the biggest came at Old Trafford against a rampant West Indies, when England’s batsmen were bruised black and blue, and lost by a mere 425 runs. Ben Stokes’s boys just pipped Tony Greig’s lot. Trebles all round.

 

Here, it was not pace like fire and a threat to heart and head that put England into a shell-shocked state, but relentless pressure from spinners, with a huge cushion of runs to lean on, and a wearing pitch to assist. That is an old and familiar tale in these parts. Ravindra Jadeja is as difficult as anyone in such circumstances and to his ten-over spell, which produced the key wickets of Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root — none of whom will be sorry to leave Rajkot — no answer came. After his first-innings century, Jadeja finished with five wickets in a dozen overs, and kissed his home turf in celebration.

The medicine had a familiar, if bitter taste, given that England were ransacked in the afternoon session, much as they have ransacked others over the past two years. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a hungry young buck from the maidans of Mumbai and is keen on carving his name into the record books. He made the second double-century of a nascent Test career, equalling the record for the number of sixes (12) in a Test innings and, in doing so, he splattered England’s greatest bowler, Jimmy Anderson, all over the park.

Having retired hurt on the third day, Jaiswal had resumed his innings on the fourth morning, with the dismissal of Shubman Gill, nine runs short of a second hundred in the series. The signs had been ominous from the start with England out of ideas and Gill and nightwatchman Kuldeep adding 50 untroubled runs in the first hour, before Gill was run out by Ben Stokes at mid-on after a yes-no mix-up with Kuldeep.

It was only when Sarfaraz Khan, another from the maidans and hungry for an opportunity, joined Jaiswal in the second hour of the morning that the punishment began. Built like a young Mike Gatting, and occasionally running between the wickets like him, Sarfaraz actually had a look for 15 balls, before belting two fours and a six in the next half-dozen. That prompted Jaiswal into action, smashing Root for his first six of the day down the ground.

Stokes shuffled his pack, but it felt like he was playing deuce high to a full house. It was in the third over after lunch, Anderson’s second of his spell and his 13th of the innings, when Jaiswal decided it was time to gear up for the Indian Premier League in a month’s time. In response to a defensive off-side field, Jaiswal hit Anderson for three consecutive sixes, the first flicked to leg; the second, over extra cover, and the third hammered down the ground with rare ferocity.

Having taken 21 runs from the over off his own bat, Jaiswal finished it with a single, just so that he could cock an ear to Anderson’s sweet nothings, and the Lancastrian must have felt every one of his 41 years at that point. There were 19 years between them in this mini-duel, and it was youth that won the day convincingly. Anderson conceded 37 runs in three overs after lunch, and can never have been treated with such disdain during his long and glittering career.

The third six was Jaiswal’s tenth of the innings, and there were two more to follow off Root, who by now must have been regretting, if he hadn’t the day before, his own impetuousness with the bat in the first innings. In a nod to Root, Jaiswal had scooped a six of his own immediately after lunch but the situation was very different with his team rampant and in control. The last six of his innings, over long-on off Root, brought up Jaiswal’s double hundred and he celebrated with his arms outstretched and his face radiant. All glory.

In combination with Sarfaraz, Jaiswal added 116 runs in 16 brutal overs after lunch, to allow Rohit Sharma to become the first captain to declare against Stokes. The target, such as it was? The small matter of 557 to win at a scoring rate of 4.25 an over, or — on the tenth anniversary of Brendon McCullum’s epic near-13-hour match-saving triple hundred against India at Wellington — a scheduled 131 overs to save the game. Would they be interested in the latter? Of course not.

It was not immediately obvious what England’s approach was, though, as they began their mammoth task. They must have been stinging from Jaiswal’s assault and the temperatures which had risen into the mid-30s. Tired bodies and scrambled brains? It looked so when Duckett set off for a sharp single to mid-wicket only to be sent back by Zak Crawley, with Dhruv Jurel, the wicket-keeper, doing superbly to sprint to the stumps and gather the throw.

Crawley went on the point of tea, leg-before to Bumrah, and then came Jadeja, quick through the air, accurate and finding some sharp spin. Pope cut to slip; Bairstow, whose place must be in question now, fell sweeping, as did Root. The sweep shot has worked for all these players in the past, and how, but if you miss Jadeja, you will pay the penalty. Root trudged off having endured one of his worst matches as an England player, spilling Rohit on the first day, when India were wobbling, and sparking off the first-innings collapse with his attempted reverse-scoop.

Stokes followed suit sweeping, to Kuldeep Yadav this time, and the lower order was exposed to a kind of cricket some won’t have seen. Still, the only way to learn is to stay out in the middle, and Rehan Ahmed’s dismissal was as crass a piece of cricket as anything in the game — which is saying something. On nought, Ahmed went for big a drive and found Mohammed Siraj at long-on, placed there with great deliberation by Rohit. This was bonkers cricket.

England’s heaviest defeat by runs since the Second World War was a given now, although Tom Hartley and Mark Wood took the total into three figures and semi-respectability. The ending, with Wood holing out in the deep in the penultimate over of the scheduled day (India would have taken the extra half-hour, even so) was entirely fitting: Jaiswal, the brilliant young batsman, was the catcher; Jadeja, who enjoyed a great all-round match, was the bowler, and England’s self-delusion in this game was laid out for all to see.

 

 

[putrevus]

Bazball should never work as the bowling units of England are very poor.

 

Good batting units will not lose 20 wickets to England even in England.

 

Stokes has been getting by smoke and mirrors. Over eagerness of other teams have been gifting them wickets.

Edited February 18 by putrevus

[Vijy]

29 minutes ago, goose said:

This is a joy to read from my favorite cricket writer

 

India vs England: Bazball’s self-delusion exposed in crushing loss

“The more the better. They can have as many as they want and we’ll go and get them.” One can admire the positivity and playfulness of Ben Duckett and this England team — such were his comments on the third evening — while also questioning their self-delusion. You wouldn’t want them in charge of the family exchequer, even so: spend as much as you want my spendthrift wife/son/daughter (delete as applicable) and we’ll earn enough to pay off the debt!

Careful husbandry of resources is not the Bazball way. They have been profligate in the extreme in this match, wasting a golden opportunity to build on Duckett’s brilliant second-day hundred and to achieve parity or more on first innings, and they were forced to take some bitter medicine as a consequence on a stifling and totally demoralising fourth day in Rajkot. They went down in flames by the massive margin of 434 runs.

Duckett had also talked of breaking records on the third evening, and we are, indeed, in record territory. This was India’s biggest victory by runs. England’s biggest defeat by runs was in the timeless Test at the Oval in 1934 against Australia when the margin was 562 runs. Over five days, the biggest came at Old Trafford against a rampant West Indies, when England’s batsmen were bruised black and blue, and lost by a mere 425 runs. Ben Stokes’s boys just pipped Tony Greig’s lot. Trebles all round.

 

Here, it was not pace like fire and a threat to heart and head that put England into a shell-shocked state, but relentless pressure from spinners, with a huge cushion of runs to lean on, and a wearing pitch to assist. That is an old and familiar tale in these parts. Ravindra Jadeja is as difficult as anyone in such circumstances and to his ten-over spell, which produced the key wickets of Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root — none of whom will be sorry to leave Rajkot — no answer came. After his first-innings century, Jadeja finished with five wickets in a dozen overs, and kissed his home turf in celebration.

The medicine had a familiar, if bitter taste, given that England were ransacked in the afternoon session, much as they have ransacked others over the past two years. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a hungry young buck from the maidans of Mumbai and is keen on carving his name into the record books. He made the second double-century of a nascent Test career, equalling the record for the number of sixes (12) in a Test innings and, in doing so, he splattered England’s greatest bowler, Jimmy Anderson, all over the park.

Having retired hurt on the third day, Jaiswal had resumed his innings on the fourth morning, with the dismissal of Shubman Gill, nine runs short of a second hundred in the series. The signs had been ominous from the start with England out of ideas and Gill and nightwatchman Kuldeep adding 50 untroubled runs in the first hour, before Gill was run out by Ben Stokes at mid-on after a yes-no mix-up with Kuldeep.

It was only when Sarfaraz Khan, another from the maidans and hungry for an opportunity, joined Jaiswal in the second hour of the morning that the punishment began. Built like a young Mike Gatting, and occasionally running between the wickets like him, Sarfaraz actually had a look for 15 balls, before belting two fours and a six in the next half-dozen. That prompted Jaiswal into action, smashing Root for his first six of the day down the ground.

Stokes shuffled his pack, but it felt like he was playing deuce high to a full house. It was in the third over after lunch, Anderson’s second of his spell and his 13th of the innings, when Jaiswal decided it was time to gear up for the Indian Premier League in a month’s time. In response to a defensive off-side field, Jaiswal hit Anderson for three consecutive sixes, the first flicked to leg; the second, over extra cover, and the third hammered down the ground with rare ferocity.

Having taken 21 runs from the over off his own bat, Jaiswal finished it with a single, just so that he could cock an ear to Anderson’s sweet nothings, and the Lancastrian must have felt every one of his 41 years at that point. There were 19 years between them in this mini-duel, and it was youth that won the day convincingly. Anderson conceded 37 runs in three overs after lunch, and can never have been treated with such disdain during his long and glittering career.

The third six was Jaiswal’s tenth of the innings, and there were two more to follow off Root, who by now must have been regretting, if he hadn’t the day before, his own impetuousness with the bat in the first innings. In a nod to Root, Jaiswal had scooped a six of his own immediately after lunch but the situation was very different with his team rampant and in control. The last six of his innings, over long-on off Root, brought up Jaiswal’s double hundred and he celebrated with his arms outstretched and his face radiant. All glory.

In combination with Sarfaraz, Jaiswal added 116 runs in 16 brutal overs after lunch, to allow Rohit Sharma to become the first captain to declare against Stokes. The target, such as it was? The small matter of 557 to win at a scoring rate of 4.25 an over, or — on the tenth anniversary of Brendon McCullum’s epic near-13-hour match-saving triple hundred against India at Wellington — a scheduled 131 overs to save the game. Would they be interested in the latter? Of course not.

It was not immediately obvious what England’s approach was, though, as they began their mammoth task. They must have been stinging from Jaiswal’s assault and the temperatures which had risen into the mid-30s. Tired bodies and scrambled brains? It looked so when Duckett set off for a sharp single to mid-wicket only to be sent back by Zak Crawley, with Dhruv Jurel, the wicket-keeper, doing superbly to sprint to the stumps and gather the throw.

Crawley went on the point of tea, leg-before to Bumrah, and then came Jadeja, quick through the air, accurate and finding some sharp spin. Pope cut to slip; Bairstow, whose place must be in question now, fell sweeping, as did Root. The sweep shot has worked for all these players in the past, and how, but if you miss Jadeja, you will pay the penalty. Root trudged off having endured one of his worst matches as an England player, spilling Rohit on the first day, when India were wobbling, and sparking off the first-innings collapse with his attempted reverse-scoop.

Stokes followed suit sweeping, to Kuldeep Yadav this time, and the lower order was exposed to a kind of cricket some won’t have seen. Still, the only way to learn is to stay out in the middle, and Rehan Ahmed’s dismissal was as crass a piece of cricket as anything in the game — which is saying something. On nought, Ahmed went for big a drive and found Mohammed Siraj at long-on, placed there with great deliberation by Rohit. This was bonkers cricket.

England’s heaviest defeat by runs since the Second World War was a given now, although Tom Hartley and Mark Wood took the total into three figures and semi-respectability. The ending, with Wood holing out in the deep in the penultimate over of the scheduled day (India would have taken the extra half-hour, even so) was entirely fitting: Jaiswal, the brilliant young batsman, was the catcher; Jadeja, who enjoyed a great all-round match, was the bowler, and England’s self-delusion in this game was laid out for all to see.

 

 

Athers was still rather too complimentary of this bunch. Scyld Berry was more scathing, although I don't like him at all.

 

What we can be sure, however, is that the Cricinfo serfs will bend over backwards and make it somehow seem like a "moral" victory for Lord Stokes and BazBall.

[cricketfan28]

Ha ha love it ..t20 has ruined everything joke if a format.

[goose]

1 minute ago, Vijy said:

Athers was still rather too complimentary of this bunch. Scyld Berry was more scathing, although I don't like him at all.

 

What we can be sure, however, is that the Cricinfo serfs will bend over backwards and make it somehow seem like a "moral" victory for Lord Stokes and BazBall.

Athers is not one for hyperbole, always measured, but this was scathing

[LordPrabhzy]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ben-stokes-wants-drs-to-scrap-umpire-s-call-1421714

 

RR shuro by England- sore losers who would have had no problem if umpires call was in their favour

[putrevus]

3 minutes ago, LordPrabhzy said:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ben-stokes-wants-drs-to-scrap-umpire-s-call-1421714

 

RR shuro by England- sore losers who would have had no problem if umpires call was in their favour

When they were getting all those calls in their favors, they were just fine.Let them whine bloddy sore losers.

[Vijy]

17 minutes ago, LordPrabhzy said:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ben-stokes-wants-drs-to-scrap-umpire-s-call-1421714

 

RR shuro by England- sore losers who would have had no problem if umpires call was in their favour

Wow, I predicted this in some other post somewhere, and sure enough he has popped up. I suppose Stokes will claim that Crawley would have scored 300+ and won them the match

[coffee_rules]

Jaiswal ne BazBall ki waat laga di
 

 

India becomes the first team to declare an innings against Baz-Ball Era. pic.twitter.com/nr6yL6PbgC

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 18, 2024

Edited February 18 by coffee_rules

[Vijy]

1 hour ago, coffee_rules said:

Jaiswal ne BazBall ki waat laga di
 

 

India becomes the first team to declare an innings against Baz-Ball Era. pic.twitter.com/nr6yL6PbgC

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 18, 2024

We did it thanks to Jazzball, which converted Bazball into Azzball

[Number]

Arthers is a very good writer, must say this. Captured the day quite nicely there.

[Rightarmfast]

I dont understand how a team can declare their strategy even before a game is played? If you have gone ahead and announced you are going to follow a specific style of game, the opposition is going to, sooner than later, work it out. Who the hell is strategist for English team? Matches are like wars... You dont disclose your strategy. 

Cool banane ke chakkar me Ch^%&ya ban gaye!

 

Chaube ji chhabbe banane nikle thei, Dubey ban ke wapas aa gaye

[LordPrabhzy]

3 hours ago, Rightarmfast said:

I dont understand how a team can declare their strategy even before a game is played? If you have gone ahead and announced you are going to follow a specific style of game, the opposition is going to, sooner than later, work it out. Who the hell is strategist for English team? Matches are like wars... You dont disclose your strategy. 

Cool banane ke chakkar me Ch^%&ya ban gaye!

 

Chaube ji chhabbe banane nikle thei, Dubey ban ke wapas aa gaye

The problem is that the red ball team is in the same cusp as the ODI team of 2015 who was humiliated in the WC which prompted a focus on ther white ball cricket which has resulted in the 2019 WC and the T20 WC too. The problem is the county season has been pushed back to the fringes of Apr/May and Sept which means slow dibbly dobblers can thrive but matches dont yield in massive totals which means the next gen of county batters are not getting acclimatised to batting long period of times on flat wickets as well as spinning tracks- so they started struggling in tests. Bazball is a shot term solution for them to play tests as their white ball cricket to bring back interest of their fans- if they pull it off then great times but if they dont then they are humiliated.

 

To make sure the Hundred has a dedicated window they are screwing over their county red ball set up which will impact their Test team. Butler and Bairstow arent in the test team due to the county averages. but more around their white ball results.

[Vijy]

4 hours ago, LordPrabhzy said:

The problem is that the red ball team is in the same cusp as the ODI team of 2015 who was humiliated in the WC which prompted a focus on ther white ball cricket which has resulted in the 2019 WC and the T20 WC too. The problem is the county season has been pushed back to the fringes of Apr/May and Sept which means slow dibbly dobblers can thrive but matches dont yield in massive totals which means the next gen of county batters are not getting acclimatised to batting long period of times on flat wickets as well as spinning tracks- so they started struggling in tests. Bazball is a shot term solution for them to play tests as their white ball cricket to bring back interest of their fans- if they pull it off then great times but if they dont then they are humiliated.

 

To make sure the Hundred has a dedicated window they are screwing over their county red ball set up which will impact their Test team. Butler and Bairstow arent in the test team due to the county averages. but more around their white ball results.

most of the team is that way. crawley has a poor FC record too.

[figo6762]

Just need to load up another defeat with 400 plus margin in the next 2 tests .. bazzball will be fired 

[Vijy]

1 hour ago, figo6762 said:

Just need to load up another defeat with 400 plus margin in the next 2 tests .. bazzball will be fired 

eng idiots will not abandon it, which is good for us

[putrevus]

England playing Bazball is not the problem but preaching world  on how to play test cricket and act as if they have reinvented the wheel is the problem.

 

Delusional idiots like Ian botham who are attributing the good crowds in Vizag and Rajkot to Bazball. England think world revolves around them .Duckett claiming credit for Jaiswal's innings to Bazball.

 

England have to play Bazball inorder to succeed with players like Duckett and Crawley.Most England play have batting avg under 35.Most of them don't have defensive game either.So for them to play attacking is the only way they can bat.

Edited February 21 by putrevus

[Kron]

On 2/20/2024 at 1:29 AM, Vijy said:

eng idiots will not abandon it, which is good for us

Its not that they wont abandon it. Thats their skill. They are great at attacking. They dont have the defensive skill

[Vijy]

22 minutes ago, Kron said:

Its not that they wont abandon it. Thats their skill. They are great at attacking. They dont have the defensive skill

they are great at attacking on flat tracks, which is mostly the pitches they have been confronted with so far.

[Kron]

41 minutes ago, Vijy said:

they are great at attacking on flat tracks, which is mostly the pitches they have been confronted with so far.

I reckon bazzball on spicy pitch is not a bad idea at all. One ball will get you. Make the most of it and bash balls around. I think bazzball would help in extreme Turners or extreme seaming wickets. 

 

Not omnbouncy wickets though. That kind of flashy shots will get out easy on bouncy tracks