Smarter bazball

World Test Championship Cycle: Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has advised India to be ruthless with the new ball and to put early pressure on the English batters is the way to win the second Test at Edgbaston, which starts on Wednesday.

Despite posting a combined 835 runs across their two innings, India’s bowling attack, barring Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered Zak Crawley’s wicket in the first over of England’s first innings, failed to impose themselves on the English batters, allowing them to navigate the tricky play and unleashing attack as the ball wore on, which, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, Panesar described as ‘Smarter Bazball.’

“What we have seen with England, they play the first 10 overs very slowly because the ball moves around; it swings, and when the ball doesn't do as much, they will start accelerating the scoring. So what they're doing is they're playing smarter ‘Bazball’ cricket.