Nasser Hussain: England’s Bazball approach maximises their chances of winning

England lost the first Ashes Test match at Edgbaston by two wickets. It was just their third loss from 14 Test matches under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

An Ashes Test defeat, however, especially at home, never goes down well with the cricket fraternity. And when it comes after several unconventional decisions which are routinely taken under Bazball, the outrage is all the more amplified.

While England’s approach has found a lot of criticism over the last week or so from every quarter, including their own cricket ecosystem, former captain Nasser Hussain has been one of the few notable voices to come out in support of the team and their style of play.

In trying to analyse the reasons behind England’s defeat, Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column that despite popular belief, England did not lose the first Test at Edgbaston due to their style of play, but because of avoidable mistakes.

“So much has been said since Edgbaston about Bazball but England did not lose the first Test because of their style of play. They lost it because they made mistakes which they cannot repeat if they hope to hit back at Lord’s and keep the Ashes alive.

“England’s first mistake, although not many saw it at the time, was picking Moeen Ali. Focus was put on the mental side of him coming back after such a long time away from Test cricket, but we forgot about the physical demands.

“On the last day, when Edgbaston was taking turn, England’s premier spinner could not hold the ball because his finger had been shredded. So that is an error.

“Then there were the mistakes made by Jonny Bairstow, usually such a good wicketkeeper. Bairstow had a poor game, especially standing up, and missed chances.

“If those errors had not been made, England would have won, but all we have seen since that Test are comments on the merits of Bazball and whether it can win the Ashes.”

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Hussain then delved into the philosophy of Bazball and said that it is designed to produce results for England and not just entertain, as many people feel is the case: “We must also remember that, whatever England say about not being a results-based side, the reason they have introduced this style is to maximise their chances of winning.

“I remember talking to Rob Key when he became managing director of England cricket and saying to him, ‘don’t worry about the brand and style. Just win games of cricket because England have only won one of their last 17 Tests.’

“And he said, ‘yes, brilliant, Einstein, but the way we are going to win games of cricket is by changing that brand and style.’

“That is what England have done. Their brand and style have led to them winning 11 of their last 14 matches. Winning is what they will be judged on and if they want to be entertaining then going to the Oval at 2-2 would be a lot more entertaining than being down 4-0.”

Hussain reasoned that by talking about not worrying about the result, England are freeing up their players of pressure which will help them perform better: “I also appreciate the reason England are carrying on like this and still trying to take concerns about the result out of the equation is that they want their players to be free to enjoy themselves. As a consequence, they will play better, and they need to be at their very best now.”

He did, however, sound a warning bell for the England side, saying that another defeat in the second Ashes Test will make life extremely difficult for Bazball: “England need to win now to keep that carefree mindset in place. Go two down and not only will Bazball be doubted but they will be nailed by everyone and some in the country could turn on them. So there’s a lot at stake over the next five days.”

The second Ashes Test starts at Lord’s on June 28. You can follow it live here.