Veteran bowler James Anderson has urged England to persist with its relentlessly attacking brand of cricket for the upcoming Ashes series, despite the strategy backfiring in Wellington last month.
England has become trailblazers in the five-day format over the past 12 months, winning 10 of their 12 matches since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as coach and captain respectively.
Watch Sri Lanka‘s Tour of New Zealand. Every ODI & T20 live & ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The team’s aggressive scoring rates and brave declarations have proven a resounding success, with England claiming a historic 3-0 whitewash over Pakistan in the subcontinent this summer.
However, some pundits have questioned whether England should take a more cautious approach in the marquee Ashes series after last month’s agonising one-run loss to New Zealand, where they became the fourth side in Test history to lose after enforcing the follow-on.
Although the “Bazball” strategy isn’t foolproof, Anderson wants England to continue its new-found attacking instincts against Australia later this year.
“I‘m not saying that result didn’t hurt as much, I was still fuming, but we enjoyed the fact we’d been part of such an amazing game,” Anderson said, as reported by PA.
“Everyone in the ground saw an amazing game of cricket, especially towards the end, and we appreciated that. So the next challenge will be the Ashes, especially for the guys that only play Test cricket because there‘s nothing bigger for us.
“Can we still play with that mentality and that freedom? Can we still take those risks? Can we take the options that risk us losing a game but maybe give us a chance of winning it? I think we will.
“I know Ben will and I know Brendon will. As long as the other players around keep buying in I think we‘ll be fine.
“I‘m surprised it’s taken us so long to play this way, it just shows what can happen if you start pushing the boundaries a little, pushing the ceiling of what you can do.”
McCullum, who dislikes the “Bazball” nickname, was adamant there would be no let-up in England’s aggressive approach during the Ashes.
“We’ll try to play the cricket that we want,” McCullum told the BBC last month.
“If winning is the outcome at the end, fantastic. We’re going into it with a squad that believes in one another and has a style of play which we will uphold throughout.
“If Australia are too good for us, then so be it. If they’re not, we’ll have the urn.”
Australian captain Pat Cummins confessed the reinvigorated England Test side’s achievements over the past 12 months have been “impressive”, but promised the tourists wouldn’t be lured into trying to imitate “Bazball”.
“They’ve really stuck to their method and are willing to live and die by that method,” Cummins told foxsports.com.au last month.
“They’ve been impressive, they’ve found a way to play a totally different style that gives them the best chance of winning.
“Over the last 18 months, the way we’ve gone about it has been really successful, so you don’t want to lose sight of that. I think that’s the most important – worry about what we do well, rather than looking at the opposition.”
Anderson, No. 2 on the ICC Test bowling rankings, has taken 112 wickets at 33.76 against Australia since his maiden Ashes appearance in 2006. The 40-year-old is about to embark on his tenth Ashes campaign, hoping to win the coveted urn for the first time in eight years.
During his most recent home Ashes series in 2019, the right-hander suffered a calf injury in the morning session of day one of the opening Test, missing the remainder of the tour.
Anderson hopes to play a handful of County Championship matches for Lancashire before shifting his attention towards the Test summer.
“I just want to make sure I‘m fit, first and foremost. I don’t want to say, ‘I’m going to get a thousand wickets in the Ashes’ and then not be fit,” Anderson said.
“What works for me is looking at next week. I know it doesn‘t make a good headline, but it’s always worked for me and it’s why I’m still here at 40, it’s always the way I’ve done it.
“I just want to make sure I build up well, help Lancashire win some games and get the season off to a good start.
“Then we can start thinking about what we want to do in the Ashes. I’ll worry about that in mid-May I reckon.”
The first Test between England and Australia gets underway at Edgbaston on June 16.
