"Will Bazball work in India? I think..." - Andy Flower delivers blunt verdict

Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower shared his thoughts on how England’s Bazball approach will perform in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. Andy Flower emphasized that international cricketers should be prepared for all sorts of playing conditions.

Andy Flower served as the head coach of the England team from 2009 to 2014. England won the Test series in India during the 2012-13 season, during his tenure. It is worth mentioning that the Three Lions were the last cricket team to defeat the Men in Blue on Indian soil.

England has won only one Test out of their last nine matches in India. They faced defeats in their following two tours to India, losing 1-3 and 0-4, respectively. Notably, the Indian team remains unbeaten in the home Test series, winning 16 consecutive red ball series.

We Should Be Prepared For All Sort Of Conditions – Andy Flower

In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Andy Flower emphasized the importance of international players being ready for all playing conditions. Flower stated that encountering different conditions and oppositions adds excitement to cricket.

“I think, as international players, we should be prepared for all sorts of conditions. That’s one of the great things about this game. The conditions and the oppositions vary so greatly. We want variety. Otherwise, it would be boring to play the game,” Flower told Hindustan Times.

We Want To See A Good Challenge Between Bat And Ball – Andy Flower

Andy Flower emphasized the need for a balanced challenge between bat and ball, avoiding extremely flat or overly difficult pitches. Flower suggested that finding this equilibrium should be the primary goal for curators, contributing to a competitive and engaging Test.

“From a pitch preparation point of view, and almost from an ICC perspective, what we want to see is a good challenge between bat and ball. You don’t want to see a pitch so flat that it’s difficult to take wickets, and you don’t want a pitch that’s so bad that you can’t score runs, and then it turns into a two-day match. The curator needs to find a balance where bowlers take the wickets, and the batters also have a chance to score Test hundreds. I don’t know much about pitch preparations to offer advice on that front, but that should be the goal. Seam or spin that should be the goal,” Flower added.

England has adopted the Bazball strategy under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Their aggressive batting approach has been successful, securing victories in 13 out of 18 Tests. The team managed only one drawn match during their tenure.

“It is going to be a fascinating contest to watch. I’ve enjoyed watching the cricket that England have played; it has been very exciting. I love attacking cricket like that. Will it work in India? I think, on the tracks in India, the first thing I’d say is that don’t dismiss the Indian seamers and their attacking prowess. Because they are genuinely outstanding, it’s not all about the spin contest,” Flower said.

“At a default position, you want to be aggressive as a batter. You are out there to score runs and put the ball away. But there are elements to building an innings in India, where it is quite important to show the opposition that you are comfortable in defence.

“As soon as you become really predictable about how you want to attack them, they can come back. Showing a solid defence, method and comfort in defending… is quite a powerful message to send to the opposition batters. Whether the England batters will go about that way remains to be seen. But that would certainly be a part of how I would coach a youngster for a game in India,” explained the Zimbabwean.

England unveiled their playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming series against India. Notably, veteran pacer James Anderson has been omitted, with the leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum opting for a spin-heavy lineup.

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood & Jack Leach

Also read: Andy Flower humiliates England without making prediction for IND vs ENG Test series