I love watching England’s Bazball: Ricky Ponting

Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has named the list of English cricketers who hold the key for their team for the upcoming red-ball tour of Australia. The five-match series is scheduled to commence in November later this year. Ponting also admitted that he is an admirer of Bazball despite being a proud Australian. Ponting additionally spoke about individual players and how they have fared under the Bazball regimen. 

“When it first started, it looked like Joe [Root] got carried away a bit. He changed his game. He’s gone back to playing normally. Ollie Pope is naturally aggressive and scores quickly. Stokes might have the lowest strike rate since it began, while Duckett and Crawley are leading the way. They probably hold the key in Australia,” stated Ponting, as quoted by The Times.

The World Cup-winning captain also shed light on the areas India could not capitalise on in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

“If they can bat really well at the top and set things up, that will give them a good chance in the series. It’s the way England naturally play, and it just sets up everything for them, putting immediate pressure back on the bowlers. You have to adapt really quickly, and that’s where India have let themselves down,” he added.

“I’m as Aussie as anyone and I love watching the way they play. The Aussies embraced it and learnt about it the last time they were here. They’ll have an understanding now of what is a slightly more refined version of what England started a few years ago,” Ponting remarked.

The last time England won the Ashes Down Under was during the 2010/11 season. Since the 1-3 triumph back then, The Three Lions have failed to win a red-ball series in Australia. The runners-up of the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship will aim on keeping that record intact in the upcoming series.

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