Ashes: England batsmen save the best of Bazball for the last — make 389 on Day 3 | Cricket News
In their last innings of their series, under the blazing South London sun, England’s batters produced the purest version of Bazball-batting. Batting as sheer contentment rather than an occupation, batting liberated from the pressure and burden of a high-stakes series, batting driven instincts and impulses. At the end of the day, England found themselves in absolute control, after screaming to 389 for 9, their lead swelled to 377 in their pursuit of a series-levelling victory.
There have been several iterations of Bazball-batting in this series. Breakneck, frantic, desperate, forced. But this one was the firmest, finest, and fullest manifestation of Bazball batting ideals. From the moment Ben Duckett stroked three fours in the first over of Mitchell Starc, there were signs that the day could end up as one of England’s finest batting performances in this Ashes.
Seldom has their batting looked so serene, almost non-violent as it was on Saturday. No stroke was played in haste, nor in anger or urgency. Everything flowed smoothly and naturally, the singles, fours and the sixes. It was just orthodox cricket played at a higher tempo.
That’s stumps 🏏
Australia trail 3️⃣7️⃣7️⃣ at the close.
Another incredible day for England – what did you make of that? 🤔 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/1L8tOufRBj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 29, 2023
So Duckett just did Duckett things, clip the ball through the leg-side, guide the ball behind square on the off-side. Zak Crawley batted as he normally does, driving majestically and flicking with aplomb. So were their rest, maximising their strengths and flogging a worn-out attack, who could not wish for the tour to end faster.
Root’s evolution
But of all the Bazball-fuelled batsmen, Joe Root has grasped its spirit to the fullest. His 91 was yet again a sumptuous exhibition of ethereal stroke-making. There were times in the past he had curbed his attacking nature for the stability of his team. He has been a force unshackled. In 31 innings in the Ben Stokes-McCullum era, he has not only scored 1527 runs at an average of 58.73, but reeled out his runs at a strike rate of 75.63. Before that, he used to strike at 54, a decent pace of scoring. But now he rattles on, though infusing the same solidity. At the start of the era, it seemed that the method was formulated to unlock the best of aggressors like Jonny Bairstow. But 18 Tests on, it seems designed for Root, to convert a world-class batsman into a world-beating one.
He effortlessly took the game away from the Australians. Pat Cummins, his nemesis, pinged the hip bone early on, but two balls later, he emphatically pulled him behind square, this disrupted the length and overturned the momentum Australia were settling into. He stepped out of the crease and walloped Josh Hazlewood through midwicket, before he reverse-scooped Mitchell Marsh for a six and glanced him behind for a six.
It was only a matter of time…
Root RAMPS for six! 🙌 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/RvdTtdVEv6
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 29, 2023
There were invariable periods of boundary lull. Australia’s pace-trio are not some easy-to-bully Sunday league bowlers. But Root and Bairstow would keep the scoreboard ticking along with singles and twos, through nudges, tickles, dabs and steers. The art or rotating strike was exemplary, borne out the number that Australia bowled only two maidens in the entire innings, and five in the entire game. In comparison, Mark Wood himself bowled five in Australia’s first innings. As many as 179 runs, that is 46 percent of the runs were non-boundaries.
His partner Jonny Bairstow too gleaned from the pages of Root’s batting. There was no early jitters or occasional casualness, there was no hurry to find the boundaries, no rush of the blood moments. He found gaps with sublime precision. The awareness of boundary-scoring outlets was as immaculate. Josh Hazlewood had just moved the third slip to deep gully after he had thumped him through covers. The next ball, he calmly guided a widish, hard-length ball through the now-vacated region.
Jonny Bairstow… Some player 👏
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | @IGCom pic.twitter.com/iWvzHBDPdH
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 29, 2023
Then arrived a time when boundaries were achieved without breaking much sweat. It was as shoddy a bowling effort as you had ever seen from a pack of Australian quicks, so masterly at expending every ounce of their skill, energy and wisdom on the field. Here, they just kept feeding boundary balls at frequent intervals, straying ever so often on the leg-side, bowling too full or short, seldom bowling to the field, without aggression and ambition. If Australia are to end their series drought in England, it would require an inspired effort from their batsmen, an approach as clear and precise as that of England.
