Australian star batsman Steve Smith has questioned whether England’s new attacking approach is ‘sustainable’.
Smith was overheard by reporters shouting ‘Bazball!’ shouted. after hitting a powerful shot in net practice ahead of his side’s test match against Sri Lanka in Galle.
That’s a phrase that has been used to describe the relentlessly positive approach England took this summer under the leadership of Brendon McCullum, whose nickname is ‘Baz’, and Ben Stokes.
Smith is clearly keeping a skeptical eye on his country’s Ashes rivals, who were hammered 4-0 Down Under last winter but have won their last four games and chased a record 378 against India this week.
“The guys just keep joking about it – I think Ronnie (head coach Andrew McDonald) is tired of hearing about Bazball to be honest – it’s fun to joke about it,” Smith said according to cricket.com .ouch.
‘It’s been exciting. I’m just curious how long it will last, if it can be kept. If you come in with a wicket with some grass on it and Josh Hazlewood, (Pat) Cummins and (Mitchell) Starc come to you, will it be the same?
‘I’m looking forward to it all. Will it work every time? I don’t know.’
Stokes, meanwhile, has revealed how ‘the nighthawk’ exemplifies England’s mission to change the game.
Over the course of four straight wins and a quartet of notable pursuits, they have attacked at every turn and kept their promises to challenge the conventions of their sport.
England faced a heavy defeat when Edgbaston match winners Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow met on the fourth night, but Stokes revealed he was in the process of devising an unlikely contingency plan.
When one of the in-form duos was fired late in the day, he prepared to send Stuart Broad to swing with abandon — undermining the traditional tactic of promoting a tail-ender to block.
“We look at every situation we find ourselves in and ask what the positive thing is to do, for example we renamed what the night watchman is all about,” he explained.
“We called it ‘nighthawk’. That was Broady. He would go out with half an hour to play to literally try to slog. That’s where we are now, it’s great.’
LAKE : Ben Stokes greets ‘phenomenal’ Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as England beat India
For more stories like this, check our sports page†
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news about
facebook† Twitter and Instagram†
