NEW DELHI: Cricketing legend Geoffrey Boycott accused the England team of "losing the plot" and criticized their overly aggressive batting approach in a scathing assessment of their performance in the second Test against India.
Boycott, writing in his column for The Telegraph, lambasted England for what he perceived as a reckless pursuit of attacking cricket, particularly in the fourth innings chase of 399 runs. He argued that England's "Bazball" mentality, epitomized by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, led to their downfall.
"Bazball is great entertainment when it comes off. But once you believe in an ideal over substance then you have lost the plot," Boycott wrote, highlighting England's propensity to prioritize aggression over solidity.
Pointing to Joe Root's frenetic innings of 16 off ten balls, Boycott lamented the departure from Root's usual composed approach, attributing his dismissal to an ill-advised attempt at aggressive strokeplay.
"Joe Root was dancing down the pitch trying to hit over the top and very soon swiped it up in the air. He only scored 16," Boycott observed, emphasizing the failure of England's aggressive mindset.
Boycott also criticized England's broader batting philosophy, suggesting that the influence of Twenty20 cricket has led to a mindset where every ball must be attacked aggressively, akin to cricket's answer to baseball.
1/10:2nd Test: India beat England to level series
Reuters
2/10:Jasprit Bumrah
<p>Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah took a match haul of nine wickets to lead India's 106-run win over England in the second Test on Monday and level the five-match series. </p>Reuters
3/10:Zak Crawley
<p>Chasing a record 399 for victory, England were bowled for 292 in the second session on day four in Visakhapatnam, despite an attacking start and Zak Crawley's 73. </p>Getty Images
4/10:3 wickets each
<p>Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took three each in the final innings and the pace spearhead bowled Tom Hartley to complete the win. </p>IANS
5/10:Shubman Gill
<p>Shubman Gill set up the comeback victory for India with his 104 on day three to set England, who won the opener, a daunting target. </p>IANS
6/10:Bazball
<p>England came out swinging with their "Bazball" brand of cricket, Crawley and company hitting boundaries despite losing wickets. </p>AFP
7/10:Axar Patel
<p>Left-arm spinner Axar Patel broke through when he trapped Rehan Ahmed lbw for 23, after the nightwatchman hit five fours in his 31-ball knock. </p>ANI
8/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>Ollie Pope hammered five boundaries in his brief stay at the wicket, before Ashwin had him caught at slip by captain Rohit Sharma on 23. </p>ANI
9/10:Joe Root
<p>Joe Root fell for 16 while attempting a slog off Ashwin, who remains one away from entering the 500-wicket club. </p>PTI
10/10:Kuldeep Yadav
<p>The chase soon lost steam with two wickets in five balls before lunch, including Crawley out lbw off left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. </p>PTI"Twenty20 cricket seems to have got in their head and made them think that every ball must be scored off with an aggressive stroke, sweep, swipe or cross-batted shot," Boycott remarked, highlighting the team's departure from traditional Test cricket principles.
Despite England's valiant effort in the fourth innings, Boycott questioned the team's approach, emphasizing the importance of substance over style in Test cricket. He referenced England's previous struggles in the Ashes series, where a similar approach led to defeat.
"You would have thought England had learned from giving away the Ashes last summer. The ‘gung ho’ batting at Edgbaston and Lord’s gave two Test matches away," Boycott recalled, urging England to prioritize building substantial innings over aggressive shot-making.
With the series level at 1-1, Boycott urged England to reassess their approach heading into the third Test in Rajkot, emphasizing the need for a more balanced and measured batting performance.
(With agencies inputs)
