ENG vs AUS: "Defensive Fields And Raucous Bouncer Plans..." - Jason Gillespie Reacts To Australia’s Approach Against Bazball

Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie opened up about the Pat Cummins-led team’s defensive approach on the field during the Ashes 2023 series against England. Jason Gillespie suggested that Australia should focus on their own plan rather than being concerned about “Bazball”.

Pat Cummins captaincy came under scrutiny with his defensive field sets in the series. The Ben Stokes-led team put up a total of 592 runs in the first innings of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. The visitors were clueless against the hosts and conceded 5.5 runs per over.

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Has Bazball Spooked Australia? – Jason Gillespie

In his column for the Daily Mail, Jason Gillespie recalled Australia’s players’ statements regarding England’s Bazball before the start of the Test series.

“Has Bazball spooked Australia? A number of Australian players in interviews have insisted that they will play their way and they will focus on what they can do,”Jason Gillespie wrote.

“But what we have seen is reactive plans to England’s style of play. We wouldn’t be seeing all these defensive fields and raucous bouncer plans if Australia simply focused on what they do well,” he added.

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It Has Played Into England’s Hands – Jason Gillespie

Jason Gillespie emphasized the importance of attacking field sets and pointed out that bowlers tend to relax when they have extensive boundary protection.

“I’ve also always believed that bowlers relax a little bit knowing they have lots of boundary protection and are therefore not quite as precise with their execution.

As a bowler, with a more attacking field, you know you have to be bang on with your execution otherwise you get punished. With spread fields and waiting for mistakes, it has played into England’s hands,” he added.

The Pat Cummins-led team finished the fourth day’s play at 214/5. The Australia cricket team are trailing the Ben Stokes-led team by 61 runs in the fourth test. The hosts need to take five wickets early to pick up the remaining five wickets to level the series at 2-2.

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