Aussie cricket great Matthew Hayden believes there is plenty the Australian team can learn from the way England plays Test cricket.
Their style of play under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, that continues to be coined ‘BazBall’, is lauded in the UK and either admired or mocked in Australia.
While ultimately it did not pay off in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, former opener Hayden says Andrew McDonald, Pat Cummins and the Aussies can take plenty from their swashbuckling and courageous approach.
At times the Australian batting lineup, led by Man of the Match Usman Khawaja, found itself tied down in Birmingham which is something they can improve on, according to Hayden.
“They (England) will only know one way to play now,” Hayden said on SENQ Breakfast.
“Stokes really said it in his press conference as well. ‘Look, we didn’t get that result but that’s not going to stop the way that we want to go about our business’.
“In fact, I reckon Australian cricket can learn a bit from it (BazBall).
“Even when I think back to Usman’s second innings - and this is being incredibly critical - but there was a time where he really needed to have a bit of BazBall himself and be inspired by it.
“He was really in a situation where he was locking down the run rate and occupying the crease and then you’ve got a young Cameron Green who was doing the same, trying to find his tempo in Test cricket.
“We know and we’ve seen through his T20 performances that he can be an absolute rockstar in terms of the way that he plays.
“Some of the senior players - Davey Warner a big tick, just his attitude, the way that he was in to the ball, good body language. Usman Khawaja occupying the crease but also could probably find a gear when he has to relieve pressure off some of the other players.
“Alex Carey had a fantastic game, Marnus Labuschagne at the moment does look like he’s really caught on the crease so he’s going to have some work to do on that BazBall mentality.
“I think (Steve) ‘Smudgey’ Smith is also a bit the same. He was fantastic through certain periods of the World Test Championship, but those two key players (Labuschagne and Smith) for us can get a little defensive. They’re more defensive than attacking and I’d really like to see them explore and extend upon their current mindset as a batting unit.”
Hayden feels the Australian batters can take it right up to England’s bowlers, particularly Ollie Robinson who became public enemy no.1 over the course of the first Test.
“That’s how you combat England as well. As soon as Pat Cummins started coming at Joe Root and hit a couple of sixes,” he added.
“Then the other bloke, he’s a forgettable cricketer.
“A fast bowler that is bowling 124 (kph) nude nuts and he’s got a mouth from the south.”
Ian Healy asked: “Who, Ollie Robinson?”
Hayden continued: “Someone like him, you can just go, ‘Brother, I’m coming at ya’.
“Davey Warner can do that, right. He can just say, ‘You’re bowling 120km…’.”
Criticism of Robinson aside, Hayden praised Stokes for his early declaration, suggesting that the way the English side is currently playing is inspiring and appreciated by the majority of the cricket public.
“It was a brilliant five days,” he added.
“You couldn’t stop watching it.”
The second Test in London kicks off at Lord’s on June 28.
Listen to Hayden’s analysis below:
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