Not Virat Kohli!! Ian Botham hails Bazball for bringing crowds back to Test Cricket

Former England skipper Ian Botham has hailed Bazball for the revival of Test cricket. Ian Botham said that with Bazball, crowds are coming back to the stadiums to watch Test cricket. He noted that crowds need entertainment and Bazball has raised the level of entertainment in Tests.

England Test skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum adopted an aggressive approach in Test cricket under their regime. Their aggressive style of approach was dubbed Bazball by the media and fans.

Under skipper Ben Stokes, England has won 14 games and lost 4 out of 20 Tests since June 2022, when the all-rounder was nominated as the skipper. Even in the IND vs ENG Test series, England won the opening game.

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The crowds are now starting to come back to Test cricket: Ian Botham

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham had a conversation on SEN Radio where he talked about Bazball. Botham lauded Bazball for reviving Test cricket. He noted how crowds are coming back to the stadium to watch Test cricket.

“You just have to look at the crowds. The crowds are now starting to come back to Test cricket. Playing against India 20-30 years ago in India, the grounds were heaving. Suddenly, the IPL came along and so did one-day cricket and the crowds then plummeted. People are now coming back and wanting to see (Bazball)”, the 69-year-old said.

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You have to entertain the crowd: Ian Botham

Ian Botham, who played more than 100 Tests and ODIs for England, also reckoned that players need to entertain people who come to watch them play. He also added that Test Cricket is now healthier than before.

“You are entertainers at the end of the day and if you want people to come to the games, you have to entertain. They don’t want to see someone score 1.2 runs per hour, you want to see guys just boss the game”.

“You are going to lose one or two games here or there but England have played 15 and won 12. England sells out games across all five days now which was just unheard of. Test cricket is now healthier than it has been for a long time,” Ian Botham further added.

Last year, the Ashes 2023 became a widely watched series with nail-biting games. England and Australia entertained viewers with some thrilling encounters. England also dominated Australia after losing the first two games. However, the series ended in a 2-2 tie.

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England astonished India in 1st Test

Notably, England made a stunning comeback in IND vs ENG 1st Test in Hyderabad. England were down with a trail of 190 runs in 2nd innings. However, Ollie Pope smacked a 196-run knock to drive the scoreboard to 420.

They set up a decent target of 231 for India in the 2nd 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 encounter will begin on February 15.