Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that England would not abort Bazball after winning the first Test against Sri Lanka. Hussain also added that it’s all about being smart with the method moving forward as well. He also opined on their aggressive approach in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester as well. With a tricky 205 chase for victory, Joe Root did well with a patient 62 off 128
deliveries to take the hosts home with five wickets to spare as well.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “England are not binning Bazball, far from it. They have got Jamie Smith and Harry Brook, who are going to be in this Test side for a long time, who will absolutely belt it for years to come. It is just about being a bit smarter when you are in those positions where it could go either way. In those key moments where we have lost another wicket, where we look to sit in and then we will go again.”

“Joe Root could have played that in so many different ways in the run-chase but he saw there was no [Ben] Stokes after him, he saw there was a slightly longer tail, and a pitch that was suiting Sri Lanka, so he just said ‘I have to be here at the end,'” Hussain further added.

However, the Sri Lankan side posted a good fight, especially in their second innings. Meanwhile, Kamindu Mendis hit a gritty hundred and shared a 117-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal to set a 205-run target for England as well. With England bowlers having some niggles heading into Lord’s, Hussain hopes it to be a challenging factor.

“It is going to be a tricky one for England heading to Lord’s. They have an abundance of seamers but not fit ones, because there are a lot of injuries right now. You think Stone will come in for Mark Wood, that will be a straight swap. Chris Woakes is a fabulous cricketer and a magnificent cricketer at Lord’s – his record there with bat and ball is phenomenal – but, physically, he was struggling with his groin or something on day four at Old Trafford,” Nasser Hussain concluded.