Alastair Cook praises England's aggressive 'Bazball' approach in Tests
Alastair Cook, the legendary England opener, has praised the aggressive 'Bazball' style of cricket. The approach is being currently championed by England's Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. England have had a successful Test run both at home and overseas with this method. Cook's remarks came during his visit to the UAE for his ICC Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Evolution of cricket under Stokes's leadership
In an interview with the ICC, Cook admitted the game of cricket has evolved a lot, especially in Tests. He traced the change to one-day cricket and credited Eoin Morgan for starting it in 2015. "I think the jump happened in one day cricket first, probably," he said. "The fundamental change, certainly from the English point of view, is when Eoin Morgan took the side forward in 2015."
Cook highlights England's aggressive approach in recent Test
Cook pointed out England's aggressive mindset in a recent Test against Pakistan, where they posted a mammoth 823/7 in their first innings. This included a stunning triple-century from Harry Brook off just 310 balls. "And obviously, the Ben Stokes era has changed the mentality of what was possible," Cook added. He also mentioned that this aggressive approach isn't entirely new, citing Virender Sehwag's record-breaking triple century as an example.
Cook sees more teams adopting aggressive approach in red-ball cricket
Cook noted that more teams are now following an aggressive approach in red-ball cricket. "We should not forget there were some past players who were also belligerent run-scorers as well," he said. He added, "I just think I have never seen a team push the boundaries quite as much as this England team have done." This highlights the increasing shift toward a more aggressive style of play.
Cook supports aggressive cricket, highlights difficulty in comparing eras
Cook was all for the aggressive style of cricket and emphasized on how difficult it is to compare eras. "I am all for embracing it, and that is why I am saying comparing generations and comparing different times of cricket is very hard to do," he said. He feels more players are now willing to put bowlers under pressure in red-ball cricket, stressing it is about scoring runs and the end product.
England's Bazball era!
England have been a formidable force in Tests ever since McCullum and Stokes took over as the head coach and captain, respectively. The dynamic pair has so far helped England record series win over several tough opponents. England's Bazball approach is not restricted to their batting in Test cricket. The other aspects such as field placements and bowling changes also reflect the same.
