The opening Ashes encounter witnessed a captivating battle, with Australia emerging victorious. Pat Cummins played a crucial role in Australia’s win, showcasing a more attacking mindset with the bat during an intense run chase. His 55-run stand with Nathan Lyon for the ninth wicket led Australia to a remarkable victory on Day 5 despite being 229/8 at one stage.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match,McCullum acknowledged that the outcome could have been different if luck had favoured England in the first game. Despite the defeat, the coach remains determined to instil a more assertive mindset in his team, hoping to turn the tide in the upcoming match.
“If we’d have got a little bit of the rub of the green then we might have been on the other side of it. I’m really proud of the boys to be honest. A couple of things didn’t quite go our way at times… that’s the nature of the game, but we firmly believe, the skipper and I, that this gives us our greatest chance,” McCullum was quoted as saying to BBC Sport.
England’s decision to declare their first-innings at 393/8 on the opening day received criticism, particularly with former captain Joe Root unbeaten on 118. Although some questioned the wisdom of the declaration, all-rounder Ben Stokes defended the decision, stating that he has no regrets.
The coach-captain duo faced scrutiny for their “Bazball” approach, prompting discussions about the suitability of such aggressive tactics in certain situations. Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain even suggested that England should reconsider employing this play style in specific matches.
“Remember, we’ve beaten Australia in England since 2001 playing the old-fashioned way. We didn’t need ‘Bazball’ to beat Australia,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.
Despite Hussain’s contentions with the mentality behind the decisions made in the first test and England’s commitment to Bazball, McCullum came out in defence of the strategies used in the Test match himself.
“We always want to try to take the game forward. We want to try to seize opportunities where we think we can put opposition teams under pressure. Obviously, you’d rather have won the game – that’s just the nature of sport sometimes,” the England coach said.
England maintained their aggressive approach despite facing challenging situations throughout the game. They maintained an overall run rate of 4.61, showcasing their intent to dominate proceedings. On the other hand, the victorious Australian side opted for a more traditional approach, batting at a slower pace with a run rate of 3.20 per over. They strategically set defensive fields to contain the scoring rate, particularly during the third innings of the match.
“I think we played our style, which is to try and take the game forward. I thought Australia were happy playing their style as well, which ultimately led to success for them and I’m sure they’ll continue with those tactics right throughout the series. I think it’s set up to be quite a fascinating contest,” the former New Zealand captain said.
“I guess I had a bit of an inkling that they might try and put some sweepers out – and it’s hard to argue because they won the Test match, right? I’m sure they’ll stick solid to that strategy all the way through, which I think’s great because we’ll go a little harder and they’ll probably stick to their strategy,” the 41-year-old concluded.
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