Alastair Cook, a recent International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Famer and former England opener, said he admired the Three Lions’ aggressive and upbeat “Bazball” style of cricket.
The Three Lions’ aggressive and upbeat ‘Bazball’ style of cricket under Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum has impressed former England opener and recent International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Famer Alastair Cook, who said he has not seen a team pushing as many boundaries as the current England team. Cook and his family watched the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand, which the former won, while in the United Arab Emirates for the announcement of his entry into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Cook stated that the game has undoubtedly advanced significantly in terms of what is achievable in Test matches in an interview with ICC.
“I believe that one-day cricket was the first to make the leap. From an English perspective, the most significant shift occurred in 2015 when Eoin Morgan moved the team forward. Cook added, “Clearly, the Ben Stokes era has altered the mindset of what was feasible.”
The first Test match between England and Pakistan was a recent illustration of their new strategy. They scored 823/7 in the first innings, with Harry Brook reaching his milestone with 317 off just 310 balls, marking him the second-fastest triple centurion in history.According to Cook, what sets England apart as unique is the large number of players who play with aggression. He did, however, remind supporters that these individual achievements are not unique and that there have been many players who have scored runs quickly throughout the game’s history, such as Virender Sehwag, who set the record for the fastest triple-century in 2008 at Chennai against South Africa, in just 278 balls. He believes that more teams are playing red-ball cricket with greater aggression these days.
“We should not forget there were some past players who were also belligerent run-scorers as well,” Cook added.”Virender Sehwag didn’t come off too many balls, and I believe Harry Brook joined him with his 300 (278). I just believe that this England team has pushed the boundaries more than any other team I have ever seen.”
“There have obviously been great sides in the past who would score quickly, but not quite as quickly as this side seemed able and willing to do.”
“I firmly believe in accepting it, which is why I believe it is extremely difficult to compare cricket between generations and eras. But with red-ball cricket, I do believe that more players are prepared to put greater pressure on the bowlers.Neetu David and AB de Villiers are also new honorees into the ICC Hall of Fame, joining Cook.
The last Test of the England-Pakistan series will begin in Rawalpindi on Thursday, with the series tied at one.
