England’s Ashes Debacle: Where Did the Bazball Went Wrong?

Australia defeated England in the third Ashes test by 82 runs. By winning this game, they also clinched the series, giving everyone a reminder why they are a top cricketing side in world cricket. The domination shown by Australia over England in the last three matches was exemplary, as they didn’t give the visitors any opportunity to make an impact in the game.

The English team came to Australia with high hopes. They had the ambition to win the Ashes on Australian soil, however, the results of the last three matches were very disappointing for them. The captain of England, Ben Stokes, was optimistic to make this tour a historic one, but he suffered crushing defeats against Australia in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

England cricket fans have been disappointed with the way their team has performed on this tour. They were hoping for a closely contested England vs Australia test series, but the recent results have been quite demoralizing. Although the five-match series is not yet complete, the overall outcome is clear to everyone. Australia have retained the Ashes, handing England another heavy defeat in conditions where they are most vulnerable.

In this article, we will take a look at why this series received so much hype despite England’s poor track record in Australia. Let’s take a look at how the recent debacle of England in the Ashes shattered everyone’s expectations.

How Bazball Gave English Fans a False Belief

England’s current style of playing test cricket gave many fans confidence that they could beat Australia on their home soil. When Brendon McCullum took over as England’s head coach, he ensured that the team would adopt a new approach aimed at dominating opponents. Initially, the Bazball took everyone by surprise, as England defeated different teams ruthlessly in the test matches of the last WTC cycle.

After witnessing the success of Bazball in home conditions, English fans became optimistic that their team would do wonders on the next Ashes tour to Australia. However, the false hope given by Bazball overlooked the reality that test cricket in overseas conditions still demands a hard grind, no matter how aggressive your intent is.

Underestimation of Australian Conditions

The biggest mistake England made on this Ashes tour was underestimating the Australian conditions. They completely misread the demands of playing tests in Australia, as the false optimism of Bazball kept them dreaming that they could take on the world-class Australian bowlers easily in their home conditions. This underestimation has cost them three consecutive matches, as their performances so far have been very poor in the series.

The batters of England are solely responsible to take the blame for the recent Ashes debacle. Their flawed techniques, combined with an overly aggressive style of play, created chaos on this tour. They have struggled to compete against the class of Cummins, Starc, and Boland on this tour, as they gave them a reality check about the true demands of test cricket.

England Acknowledges Shortcomings in Approach

Now that England have lost three back-to-back matches in the series, Brendon McCullum has admitted that his team’s plans were not up to the mark for the Australian challenge. This is an honest admission, but it came very late as England have already lost another Ashes series.

"Ultimately you are responsible for how you get your side ready and how you prepare them. I had conviction, we had conviction in our methods in terms of preparation, not just leading into the first Test but also in between Tests. I look back now and think, did we need more leading into the first and did we need less leading into the second? They are the changes over time you look back on and say would I do it differently?” said Brendon McCullum at the end of the Adelaide test.

"Retrospectively, we lost 3-0 so you would probably say there was room for change there. Again, you put your hand up as a coach and say you might not have got that right. At the same time I felt it would give us our best chance because it has previously. Sitting here 3-0, it didn't work." added Brendon McCullum.

These statements by England’s head coach showcase that he has recognized the team’s mistakes on the ongoing tour. Their aggressive style of play hasn’t worked well in Australia, so the admission of its failure is seen as a positive step by many fans.

Final Words

Over the years, England vs Australia test series have remained very competitive. Unfortunately, the story of this tour has been completely different, as Australia have won all the matches against England comprehensively. It has been a one-sided affair so far, with Australia dominating the visitors throughout the series.

They not only took advantage of their home conditions, but also enjoyed the blunders of England, which they made repeatedly in all three matches. Now that only two matches are left in the series, there is less pressure on them, meaning they will now play with more freedom to give England a further thrashing in the series.