Aakash Chopra Criticizes England’s Abandonment of ‘Bazball’ Approach in Lord’s Test

 LONDON | July 11, 2025 — Former Indian opener and cricket commentator Aakash Chopra has taken a sharp jab at England’s apparent departure from their much-celebrated ‘Bazball’ philosophy during the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Lord’s. England ended Day 1 at a cautious 251 for 4 after electing to bat first, with Joe Root (99*) and Ben Stokes (39*) steadying the innings.

In what marked their slowest batting performance in the Bazball era—named after head coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum—England scored at a run rate of just 3.02 per over. Not a single batter registered a strike rate above 60, signaling a stark deviation from the high-tempo style that has defined their Test cricket since mid-2022.

“The question now is—where is the Bazball, sir?” Chopra quipped in a video shared on his YouTube channel. “There used to be something called Bazball. It seems to have gone missing somewhere in St John’s Wood. They batted the whole day and ended with just 250 runs.”

Chopra highlighted the shift in strategy with a particular focus on Joe Root’s innings, noting that the veteran batter took 157 deliveries to reach his half-century—the slowest of his career in the Bazball era.

“Root, once seen rushing through innings under this new regime, seems to have acknowledged his lean patch from the first two Tests and decided to bat with more caution,” Chopra observed. “He’s the root of England’s batting, and perhaps he realised it was time to ground himself.”

From Aggression to Caution

The former Indian cricketer didn’t stop there. He pointed to a broader change in England’s mindset, suggesting that after trailing in the second Test at Edgbaston, the team quietly pivoted from their 'entertainer' identity to a more pragmatic one.

“Bazball has been completely shelved—regardless of the batting position. From openers to Ben Stokes, everyone has suddenly started saying, ‘We are not foolish. We want to win, but we also know how to play for a draw,’” Chopra said. “It seems the team now wants to retain the option of playing slow, having once declared they would always play fast.”

Chopra attributed the tactical shift not to a deliberate evolution, but rather to a lack of foresight and contingency planning within the English camp. “This isn’t about strategy; this is about a lack of planning and absence of a second option,” he stated.

As the series intensifies, questions now surround whether England’s famed Bazball approach was ever sustainable in the face of disciplined bowling attacks like India’s, or if it was merely a momentary thrill without long-term tactical depth.