Nasser Hussain stands for England's Bazball tactic despite the team's first Test loss

Team England is facing Australia in the second Test of the Ashes 2023 at the Lord's cricket ground in London. The Aussies are already 1-0 up in the five-match series after they pulled off a thrilling win in Birmingham. The visitors won the match by two wickets and snatched the win from the jaws of the hosts. 

3 things you need to know 

• The second Ashes 2023 Test match will be played from June 28 to July 2, 2023
• England would aim to level the five-match Test series at 1-1 at Lord's 
• The English team will play with the same aggressive approach against the Aussies at Lord's 

The English cricket team made a bold decision in the inaugural Ashes 2023 as they declared their first innings on Day 1 at 393/8 in 78 overs. The team could have easily batted on Day 2 as well, but it was that aggressive mindset and tactics also known as 'Bazball' due to which England did something which is very rare in Test cricket. However, their tactics did not help them win the match, and they ended up on the losing side.  

The English cricket team also had to face a lot of criticism from the cricketing pundits over their 'Bazball' tactics. However, the team's captain Ben Stokes said that the result of the match was at the bottom of his list and his principal intention was to entertain the fans.

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Nasser Hussain backs 'Bazball' amidst the criticisms 

Amidst the criticisms, former England captain Nasser Hussain has defended England's 'bazball' tactics and asserted that the technique was introduced to maximise the winning chances of the team. Hussain further said that he wants the English team to win matches but he can also see the bigger picture now. 

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Nasser Hussain further added that when he left Edgbaston and saw the record-breaking figures, he wanted more from the English cricket team. In his column for Daily Mail, Hussain wrote, 

All we've seen since that (first) Test are comments on the merits of Bazball and whether it can win the Ashes. We should also remember that, whatever they may say about England not being a results-based team, the reason they have introduced this style is to maximize their chances of winning.

England wanted to win. All my life I have wanted England to win. But, as a 55-year-old man, I now see the bigger picture. When I left Edgbaston I looked at the crowd and the record viewing figures on Sky and thought, 'Yeah, we want more of this.'

The English cricket team till now had played 14 Tests with the 'Bazball' tactics in which they have been able to win 11 games, whereas they have ended up being on the losing side in the rest three games.