Former England captain Ian Botham praised Bazball for the revival of Test cricket. Ian Botham said that with Bazball, crowds return to stadiums to watch Test cricket. He pointed out that crowds need entertainment and Bazball has raised the level of entertainment at Tests.
England Test Pattern ben stokes and coach Brendon McCullum adopted an aggressive approach to Test cricket under his regime. His aggressive style of approach was nicknamed Bazball by the media and fans.
Under captain Ben Stokes, England have won 14 matches and lost 4 of 20 tests since June 2022, when the all-rounder was nominated as captain. Even in the IND vs ENG test series, England won the opening match.
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Crowds now starting to return to Test cricket: Ian Botham
Former England all-rounder Ian Botham had a conversation on SEN Radio where he talked about Bazball. Botham praised Bazball for reviving Test cricket. He watched as the crowd returns to the stadium to watch Test cricket.
“You just have to look at the crowd. Crowds are now starting to return to Test cricket. Playing against India 20 or 30 years ago in India, the ground was packed. Suddenly, the IPL came along and so did one-day cricket and the crowd collapsed. People now come back and want to see (Bazball),” the 69-year-old said.
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You have to entertain the crowd – Ian Botham
Ian Botham, who played over 100 Tests and ODIs for England, also felt that players need to entertain the people who come to watch them play. He also added that Test Cricket is now healthier than before.
“At the end of the day, you are entertainers and if you want people to come to the games, you have to entertain. “You don’t want to see someone score 1.2 runs an hour, you want to see guys just dominate the game.”
“You’re going to lose a game or two here or there, but England played 15 and won 12. England sold out the games over the five days, which was just unheard of. Test cricket is healthier now than it has been in a long time,” added Ian Botham.
Last year, the Ashes 2023 became a highly watched series with nail-biting games. England and Australia entertained the spectators with some exciting matches. England also dominated Australia after losing the first two matches. However, the series ended tied 2-2.
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England surprised India in the first test
Notably, England made a stunning comeback in the first IND vs ENG Test in Hyderabad. England were down with a spell of 190 runs in the second innings. However, Ollie Papa He hit a knock of 196 runs to take the score to 420.
They set a decent target of 231 for India in the second innings. Later, with the help of inexperienced spinners, the visitors bowled out India for 202 and won the match by 28 runs. Now, the series is tied 1-1 after two games. The next meeting will begin on February 15.