ENG vs SA: Mohammad Kaif Slams 'Bazball' After South Africa Defeats England In First Test

Mohammad Kaif, a former Indian batter, took to Twitter after South Africa’s victory to explain why the “Bazball” strategy had failed in the game.

South Africa took a 1-0 series lead at Lord’s after defeating England by an innings margin and shredding the home batting order twice in three days.

Ben Stokes, England’s full-time Test skipper, experienced his first defeat as a consequence, and it became abundantly evident that South Africa would pose a challenging test for the new management’s attacking mentality after a run of four straight victories.

England was bowled out in the first inning in 45 overs and the second inning in 37.4 overs. They received a brutal beating from the Proteas.

After lunch on Day 3, Nortje’s burst in which he bowled 150+ and got 3 wickets in 10 balls destroyed England.

‘Bazball doesn’t work against world-class bowling attack’: Mohammad Kaif

South Africa dominated in the opening Test of the three-match series, handing England their first loss since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as the Test team’s captain and coach, respectively. After McCullum’s nickname, England’s aggressive strategy has been dubbed “Bazball,” yet at Lord’s, South Africa’s pacers quickly dismantled their batting order to hand them an innings defeat in three days.

Mohammad Kaif, a former Indian batter, used Twitter to explain why “Bazball” failed in the match after South Africa.

South Africa shows that Bazball doesn't work against world class bowling attack with variety and a sharp captain who sets smart fields. #SAvsENG

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) August 19, 2022

“South Africa shows that Bazball doesn’t work against world-class bowling attack with variety and a sharp captain who sets smart fields,” Mohammad Kaif wrote.

South Africa now leads the World Test Championship Points Table as an outcome of this victory. They are currently strong favourites to make it to the finals. While England had already finished worst. The victory by South Africa puts Pakistan and India under pressure to win their remaining games.

Also Read: Updated ICC World Test Championship Points Table After England vs South Africa 1st Test