Ashes 2023: 'What is their Plan B' - Steve Waugh questions England's backup approach if 'Bazball' fails

We are less than a week from the start of Ashes 2023, and the verbal volleys have already begun. While England veterans, including Stuart Broad, took a sly dig at Australia’s previous Ashes win in 2021 by calling it equivalent to null and void, the former Aussie captain Steve Waugh has questioned England’s approach if the most-talked-about thing is Tests, ‘Bazball’ fails this time.

With Bazball making all the right noises in the past 12 months after Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over the reins in the Test side, Waugh feels if England is going in with just option under their sleeves, their chances of being found out increases.

England’s newest all-out-attack approach helped them taste success, as they won 11 of the last 13 Tests played. Their latest win over Ireland was one example of that, and Waugh feels though England has taken down several attacks in the process, doing something similar against the potent Australian attack would not be as easy.

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"That is the big question mark over so-called Bazball. What is Plan B? Have they got a Plan B?" Australia's former Test captain asked, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "If they haven't then they are going to be found out.

"They have shown they are good enough to carry this style of cricket off, but the ultimate test will be against a world-class bowling attack, which Australia has got.

"It is exciting, but to me, the jury is out at the moment. Does [Bazball] hold up under scrutiny against a really good bowling attack in maybe challenging conditions?” Waugh added.

Ponting echoes Waugh’s words

Two great Australian captains, Waugh and Ricky Ponting, share the same thought as both believe England might win most matches with that approach, they will still fall short on a few occasions, and chances of that happening against the Aussies are higher.

"There is no doubt it won't work all the time, but I think with [coach Brendon] McCullum and [captain Ben] Stokes they will have the courage to go through with it," Waugh said. "They can't chop and change. Have they got a backup plan? I'm not sure. That might find them out."

Meanwhile, Ponting said, "I've got a few thoughts on what I'd be doing if I was an Australian fast bowler," Ponting said. "I think the reason the way England have played for the last couple of years is with this series in mind. They've been trying to find a brand of cricket that they can play that's going to win an Ashes series."

Since Australia haven’t won an away Ashes since 2001, their chances of turning the tables around when stakes are this high will make the upcoming Ashes 2023 a mouth-watering series to watch out for.

The first of the five Tests begins on June 16th in Edgbaston.

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