England’s top order batsmen have been slammed by England cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott after their recent Test series collapse against India. He hopes they will ditch the ‘Bazball’ approach and be more disciplined in their batting.
In his Daily Telegraph column, Boycott didn’t hold back, calling out the silly, over-aggressive shots from some of the England batsmen. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope got the worst of it.
Stop throwing your wickets away with silly, over-aggressive shots. You are better than that and England needs more from you, Boycott said. Coach Brendon McCullum recently said England isn’t focused on ‘Bazball’ and needs to refine their batting. So, no more excuses.
Boycott is known for his straight talking and questioned Zak Crawley’s place in the team, saying it’s time to replace him after so many failures. How many more chances will Crawley get? He hasn’t learned anything in 57 Tests. A lazy shot in the first innings got him caught behind and in the second innings he drove at a wide ball and was caught at gully. It’s a repeat of too many of his dismissals. Five centuries and a 31 average isn’t good enough.
Ollie Pope also felt Boycott’s wrath, with Boycott saying he’s just following the aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach. His problem is he’s too active and fidgety when he first comes in, like a cat on a hot tin roof. Pope starts off playing like a millionaire, swinging at every ball as if he’s already got a century under his belt, Boycott said.
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It seems the captain and coach told all the players to adopt ‘Bazball’ and Ollie has fully bought into it, eager to show he’s a follower. Maybe he thinks he has to play positively and aggressively or he’ll lose his place.
Boycott told Pope to look at England’s most reliable batter for inspiration. He needs to get back to basic batting, which means assessing the situation and batting accordingly, rather than sticking to an idea or trying to play the way the captain and coach want him to. Look at Joe Root. Joe does his own thing, scores runs and he’s the best batter in the world.I hear Ollie Pope might be dropped for Jacob Bethell and Crawley might stay. Boycott was furious. I’m hearing they are talking about dropping Ollie Pope and replacing him with Jacob Bethell. Pope has done more for England than Crawley. 59 Tests, 35 average and 10 centuries. Yes, with his talent it should be better, but he’s played a few good innings that have helped England win matches.
Boycott finished by saying the No. 3 batsman and how Crawley’s position affects the middle order. A No. 3 is an opening batsman if the team loses a quick wicket and a middle order player… able to hit shots after a good start from the openers. That’s not going to happen with Crawley at the top. No. 3 is a very specialist position. Most opposition bowlers love bowling at him. Can you imagine what the Australian seamers are thinking about the Ashes series this winter? If Starc doesn’t get you, Hazlewood and Cummins will.
