'A big flop': Ex-Aussie cricketer makes scathing attack on England's 'Bazball' approach

Australia are one Test win away from retaining their Ashes title after they dominated the Ashes series so far beating England at Edgbaston and Lord’s Stadium. As they will be entering Day 3 of the 3rd Test at Headingley, the  Aussies are still ahead of England by 142 runs.

3 things you need to know

• Australia has been unbeatable in Test after they won the World Test Championship 
• England have not won the Ashes since 2015 
• Ashes 2023 could be Australia’s first Ashes series win on English soil since 2001

Former Australia spinner Xavier Doherty criticizes England’s mentality

Xavier Doherty, a former Australia spinner, has criticised England's strategy for playing cricket in the present Ashes series, referring to it as "Bazball" and calling it risky. Doherty criticised England's playing style, saying it encourages carelessness and a lack of accountability in a big match like ENG vs AUS.

Moeen Ali’s dismissal last night, it’s just unbelievable. They found themselves in a bit of strife and Ali and Stokes tried to wrestle the momentum back, Pat Cummins bounces him, he gets a top edge and it fell 20 metres short of a fielder, Australia the very next ball, puts a fielder right where the ball landed and he does the exact same thing and gets caught and walks off like, ‘it’s just the way we play,

Doherty claims that instances of unexplainable errors and a lack of accountability have hurt England's performance. He used the dismissal of Moeen Ali on the Day 2 of the Third Test of ENG vs AUS as an illustration of England's carelessness, emphasising a wasted chance to establish momentum before losing his wicket as a result of a similar shot. The dismissive mentality of England that "it's just the way we play" is inappropriate for the strategic element of Test cricket, according to Doherty.

Also Read: BCCI Makes A Big Change In Domestic Cricket, Allows Two Bouncers In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

What did he say on Jonny Bairstow’s controversial wicket?

The former cricketer also addressed the controversy over Jonny Bairstow's dismissal, blaming it on the "Bazball" mentality. Doherty chastised the English crowd, comparing their behaviour to that of football supporters, with shouts and insults becoming more common. He also accused England of having an unaccountable attitude, claiming that they flout the laws while seeking to protect the spirit of cricket and control the behaviour of others.

It’s just another excuse for the English to call Australia cheats… it’s like a mob mentality,

The cricket crowd over there is turning into a football crowd with the chants and the abuse.

It’s just this unaccountable mindset that they’ve got, the rules don’t apply to us anymore so we’ll do and say whatever we feel like and then we’ll be the upholders of the spirit of cricket and we’ll tell other people what they should be doing,

Also Read: England Vs Australia 3rd Test Day 3 Live Score Updates

Xavier Doherty finished by saying that England's present approach, influenced by "Bazball," has created an insular attitude in which they believe they are immune from laws and free to act and say anything they want. He criticised England's self-image as defenders of cricketing principles while seemingly ignoring their own behaviour. Doherty feels that the "Bazball" phenomenon has boosted England's egos while disconnecting them from reality.

It is crucial to remember that Xavier  Doherty's views are his own perspective, and there may be other opinions within the cricketing community on the subject.