In a thrilling encounter, Australia emerged victorious against England in the first Test of the Ashes 2023 series. The match was marked by an intriguing decision made by England skipper Ben Stokes, who declared their first innings on the opening day. Although many fans and experts believe that the over-aggressive stance contributed to England’s loss, the ‘Bazball’ approach has garnered attention from all corners of the cricketing world.
Former South African cricketer and captain, Ab de Villiers, recently commended Stokes for his leadership, drawing comparisons to MS Dhoni‘s captaincy style in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. De Villiers took to Twitter on Tuesday and praised England’s bold declaration strategy, highlighting the importance of adapting and playing situations that increase the likelihood of securing a victory.
Since England’s change of leadership last year, the team has shown a remarkable shift in performance, winning the majority of their matches. The ‘Bazball’ approach has played a significant role in this transformation. However, their gamble in the first Ashes Test did not yield the desired outcome.
De Villiers expressed admiration for England’s idea of making a bold declaration to achieve a desired result. He further drew parallels between the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket and Dhoni’s approach in the IPL 2023, emphasizing the value of taking calculated risks and embracing innovative strategies.
“I never looked at the Birmingham weather leading up to this Test match. The way England played now makes sense. Call it what you want, some say Bazz Ball, I just think it’s smart Cricket. The best teams are prepared to adapt and play situations in a way that’ll ultimately put them in a winning position more often than the rest, whether that’s by making bold declarations or playing reverse sweeps a lot, whatever it takes. The only way to make it impactful is to have a complete buy in from every individual, no ego’s, no stats driven players, just a full on buy in to be the best team in the world. That’s how I see the Eng team play atm. Also saw that with MSD and co. in the IPL,” tweeted De Villiers.
I never looked at the Birmingham weather leading up to this Test match. The way England played now makes sense. Call it what you want, some say Bazz Ball, I just think it’s smart Cricket. The best teams are prepared to adapt and play situations in a way that’ll ultimately put…
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 20, 2023
