Steve Smith invited England to try and make ‘Bazball’ pay off in the Ashes after Australia bowlers took control of the World Test Championship final against India.
England have spent the last year establishing themselves as the most daring red-ball team around, scoring at a frantic rate against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan and notching 11 wins from 13 games under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.
One by one they have lined up to take aim at England’s ultra-attacking approach, but Stokes and company have yet to take their foot off the throttle.
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We look at the emergence of ‘Bazball’ – England’s new brand of Test cricket, under the leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Australia clearly fancy their chances of breaking the streak and Smith saw no reason to doubt his side’s attack after they put the squeeze on India on day two at the Oval. Seamers Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green each took a wicket, as did spinner Nathan Lyon, with India closing day two on 151-5 and 318 runs behind.
Asked if England’s preferred style would be a success against that bowling pack, Smith said: “I think I said it initially when ‘Bazball’ started that I’m intrigued to see how it goes against our bowlers. I’ve said that all along .
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Australia’s Steve Smith reaches 100 at The Oval against India to make it 31 Test centuries.
“I think it’d be difficult on this kind of wicket – up and down and seaming around – it’s not easy to defend, let alone come out and swing. They’ve obviously done well against some other attacks, but they haven’t come up against us yet.
“It’s obviously been exciting to watch. I must say I’ve enjoyed watching the way they’ve played and the way that I guess they’ve turned things around in the last 12 months or so, but it’s yeah we’ll wait and see how it comes off against us. ”
Smith played a significant role of his own in putting Australia firmly in charge in London, taking his tally of Test centuries to 31. He spent just over five-and-a-half hours compiling 121, sharing a stand of 285 with the more expansive Travis Head (163).
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Highlights of the second day from the World Test Championship final between Australia and India at The Oval.
“It was nice to spend a lot of time out there against some good bowlers on a challenging wicket after getting sent in. I’ll take a lot of confidence out of that and hopefully can keep building and have a successful summer here,” added Smith, who has now scored seven hundreds in English conditions and amassed 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes.
“I think in terms of English wickets it’s probably as close to Australia as you get. I’ve enjoyed playing here and it was nice to score a few out here again.”
The Ashes – Live
Friday 16th June 9:30am
Pope: England searching to unsettle Smith
Ollie Pope admits England are searching for a way to burst Smith’s bubble in the Ashes, after the “stubborn” Australian notched up yet another century and ground India’s bowlers down with a meticulous 121.
It took India 268 deliveries and over five-and-a-half hours to end the 34-year-old’s knock, as his trademark bloody-mindedness once again came to the fore, with Pope believing that finding a way to derail his famed concentration could be the key to preventing more of the same this summer.
“He loves batting in England,” Pope said. “It’s obvious he knows these conditions and he knows his game inside out, so there’s a lot of respect for him. But there’s also a lot of talented bowlers in our changing room who have worked out ways we can challenge him. I can’t say too much but there’s probably slightly different plans this time.
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England vice-captain Ollie Pope says that he believes Moeen Ali’s return to Test cricket is an exciting prospect after two years without him.
“He’s got his routines – his slightly longer routines – before he faces each ball and he won’t be ready until he’s done all those routines. What’s made him successful is that stubbornness and that stubbornness for runs as well. That’s exactly the bubble we’ve got to try and get him out of.
“Steve Smith is a highly-skilled batter and scores a lot of runs but I think for him we might be looking at even quirkier ways to challenge him, test him out and make him as uncomfortable as we possibly can to try and get his wicket .”
Watch The Ashes live on Sky sports cricket from Friday June 16. Coverage from Edgbaston begins at 9.30am ahead of the first ball at 11am. You can also follow in-play clip and text commentary across Sky Sports’ digital platforms.