Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell is in awe of England skipper Ben Stokes and his fast-paced approach to Tests. So much so that he has claimed that the current ENG side were ‘too slow’ to accept the skipper’s new aggressive approach.
IND vs ENG: Chappell in awe of Stokes
In his column for ESPNCricinfo, Chappell heaps praises on Stokes for setting out to achieve victory from ball one onwards. A ‘strong minded and smart leader, the England skipper enjoys great belief from the side, says Chappell. He points out that one of the greatest benefits from the approach is that it enthuses best players who can go on to affect the matches.
“Much of England’s success has been attributed to Bazball – the desire to score quickly and tactically rattle the opposition – but this is a misnomer. What Stokes has really done is set out to achieve victory from ball one by playing aggressive cricket in all aspects of the game,” Chappell writes.
“It’s an approach that England were extremely slow to adopt but Stokes has shown himself to be a strong-minded and smart leader,” he adds.
Chappell opines that Stokes’ attitude has helped young players like Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir. The ex-Australian skipper also wishes to see the ‘all-rounder’ Stokes back.
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