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Former Australian Test captain Greg Chappell slammed England's performance in the ongoing Ashes series, saying it's a -system failure. He believes the off-field leaders, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, are equally responsible for not adapting to the challenges of Test cricket in Australia.
This comes after Australia completely outplayed England in the first two Ashes Tests, winning both by eight wickets. Writing in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald, Chappel said, "The failure that has ensued across the first two Tests is a whole-of-system one, a catastrophic breakdown of both the game plan and its execution. While the players have been the immediate culprits, the off-field leaders - Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes - are equally responsible for not recognising the different challenges presented by Test cricket in Australia." England's attacking 'Bazball' approach as a batting unit did not pay them any dividends in the first two Ashes Tests. Chappell criticised England's aggressive "Bazball" approach, saying it's ill-suited for Australia's demanding conditions. He believes England's overly positive spin on achievements and unwillingness to adapt are hindering their performance. Stokes, who has championed the 'Bazball' approach alongside head coach McCullum, is in fact the only player, alongside Joe Root (260), to face at least 200 balls so far in the series, having faced 224 deliveries. His strike rate is 34.37, also the lowest amongst his teammates. "In the context of English cricket's game plan, the aggressive, often reckless approach dubbed "Bazball" - the effect manifests as an overly positive spin on achievements and an unwillingness to accept that a method successful on flat English pitches and small grounds is fundamentally unsuited to the demanding conditions and quality opposition found in Australia," Chappell added. England faced a helpless, two-day loss at Perth, courtesy of a Travis Head form in the first Test. In the second Test, except for centurion Joe Root, Zak Crawley and skipper Ben Stokes managed to bat out for really long. After giving Australia a 177-run first-innings lead with 511, there was no coming back for England as, except for a 96-run stand between Stokes and Will Jacks, they fell apart for 241 in the third innings, setting Australia an easy 69-run target to win. The hosts currently lead the five-match series 2-0, with the third Test between England and Australia set to be played in Adelaide, starting December 17. (ANI)
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