'Worried how they will...': Ricky Ponting questions England's bowling lineup for The Ashes

Why You Are Reading This: England announced its playing XI for the first Test of the Ashes 2023 series on June 14, two days before kick-off in the Edgbaston Test. The Ben Stokes-led side went ahead with veteran Test pacer Stuart Broad while excluding the dangerous Chris Woakes. With reports emerging about England opting for flatter tracks and smaller boundaries to help their ‘bazball’ approach, former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting raised an important question for the English bowling unit. 

3 Things You Need To Know

• England has made headlines for the ‘bazball’ style of play in recent times
• ‘Bazball’ became famous after Ben Stokes & Brendon McCullum took charge of England in Tests
• England has scored at a run rate of 4.65 under Ben Stokes’ leadership in 14 tests

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England vs Australia Ashes 2023: Ricky Ponting's Warning for English Bowlers

Shedding his thoughts on the reports about England preferring flatter tracks for Ashes 2023, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting warned England that their ‘bazball’ approach could very well backfire on them. Speaking to the Times (UK), Ponting said, “If England want to play the style that they’ve been playing, I actually think they probably need to have some flattish-type wickets.

He further added, “I’ve heard that they want flat wickets, I’ve heard they want the boundaries brought in. But I think if they do have these flatter wickets, I’d be worried about how they’re going to get 20 Australian wickets a game. With Jofra Archer not being there, without their number one spinner (Leach) being there, if they’re flat, will Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson be able to have a huge impact on the series?”.

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England vs Australia Ashes 2023: What do we know about 'Bazball' so far?

‘Bazball’ became associated with the game after the captain and coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took charge of the team. Since then, the English Test side has scored at a phenomenal run rate of 4.65 in 14 Tests so far. The next best scoring rate under a captain is 3.66 by the Aussies under the legendary Steve Waugh in 57 games from 1999 to 2004.