For all the Bazball hysteria, England had to rely on Joe Root to steady the ship
Rootâs command of the batting art is absolute; a leviathan of delicate poise, always in balance, ever alert
June 16, 2023 8:18 pm(Updated 8:23 pm)
Another day of Bazball overload, of big runs, exotic declarations and of flame thrower Jonny Bairstow branding the Âoccasion with that look in his eye that screams âhere comes trouble!â
A sprinted second from a tickle to fine leg off Nathan Lyon brought up the half-century to hallmark Bairstowâs contribution. A vicious pull backward off square and a clump over mid-off would follow in the next three deliveries, a marriage, you might say, of old England and new that may or may not have helped his team towards a commanding position.
Australia were batted out of large parts of the day but were dragged into contention by a succession of donated wickets and a ballsy declaration with England eight down and seven shy of 400. On a strip as placid as this you would expect the three highest ranked batsmen in the world, Messrs Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head, to shove Englandâs eccentricity down their throats and demand even more of Bairstow second time around, a part for which he is suitably cast, of course.
Any kind of Ashes role looked unlikely nine months ago when Bairstow was stretchered off the golf course with multiple fractures to a lower leg. He did this innocently falling over. It cost him his place in Englandâs victorious Twenty20 World Cup squad as well as the final Test against South Africa. The episode seemed especially cruel since it robbed England of its foremost Bazballer and Bairstow of a career moment tasting of honey.
Fate called him forward at a moment of anxiety. The exit of skipper Ben Stokes to a shot of maddening frivolity left England five down for 176 runs and Bazball seemingly at the point of crisis in the context of a sunny day on a wicket made for looting. The innings, and Englandâs nerve, needed sewing back together. No player symbolises Englandâs cultural reset more emphatically than Bairstow, whose career has experienced a remarkable makeover under the aegis of coach Brendon McCullum.
After surviving a meaty first ball lbw appeal, Bairstow went a-hunting, looking to unleash those lump-hammer blows through the offside in the manner of blacksmith tossing a horse over his shoulder. The violence, imparted with that characteristic short back lift, was astonishing.
At the point of his dismissal, stumped with England three short of 300, he had reached parity with Joe Root on 78, this after giving his teammate a 40-odd run start.
He was dismissed trying to take the seam off another Lyon delivery. Painful yet acceptable if this is to be the way of things.
A generous appraisal of Stokesâs lack of discipline, out to a front-foot swipe to a ball leaving him, might acknowledge his lack of batting; just two single-figure knocks in the IPL since the last Test against New Zealand in February.
Nevertheless, this was an unwanted reprise of the last days of the Root era when England were heading straight to hell.
For Bazball read Bazballsup. It is absolutely pointless galloping along at four-plus an over if you are chucking your wicket away.
There was no need for Stokes to play at the ball, no advantage to be gained. Neither did it look like the shot met the pleasure principle upon which Bazball is premised. Stokes appealed more in desperation than belief. Australia could not believe their luck.
For all the Bazball hysteria it was via the solid accumulation of Root that England established a platform. There were a few outrageous reverse ramps over the slip cordon and a barrage of reverse sweeps to Lyon, but those apart Root eschewed the overreach of some of his team-mates putting his trust instead in fundamentals. His command of the batting art is absolute; a leviathan of delicate poise, always in balance, ever alert.
His 30th Test century brought a chorus of The Beatlesâ anthem âHey Judeâ, with Rootâs name dutifully headlining. He ended the innings undefeated having watched his teammates win and lose at the other end. Moeen Aliâs slogged cameo was a microcosm of the day, taking the Australian bowlers for 18 off 17 balls then walking back to the pavilion stumped, his wicket entirely donated and England seven down.
At that point Bazball might have been classified a registered charity. Australia were in possession of a clutch of wickets they could barely believe were theirs.
From the outset, Australia appeared baffled by the Bazball concept, playing a cautious, shrunken brand of cricket that jarred with the bravado associated with Baggy Green culture.
It was a surprise skipper Pat Cummins did not send out the nightwatchmen following Englandâs shock declaration. It would have captured a mood that saw him ring the fence with sweepers for fear of England pinning Australia to the floor in a blizzard of boundaries.
As it was David Warner and Usman Khawaja remained intact, shortening the deficit by 14 runs.
