England will kick off their summer schedule as they square off with Ireland in a one-off Test followed by a five-match Ashes against Australia. The Three Lions already took the cricket world by storm with their ultra-attacking approach which has paved the way for success in both home and away games. The duo of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are gearing up for another challenge when they host the mighty Aussies on their home soil.
McCullum introduced “Bazball” which enables the England squad to get out of their comfort zone if there is a need to change the course of the match. 10 victories in 12 Test matches speak volumes of its success rate and they have somehow managed to maximise its success ratio as they haven’t gone to play by the books.
“To be fair, there’s some stuff we did last year that I didn’t really think was achievable but the guys were able to do it.
“If you are present and clear of mind, you’re able to make good decisions because you’re not worried about the outcome as such, you’re just able to adapt to what’s required.
“There will be periods where we’ll have to absorb pressure. It may also be that we’ll be able to put the handle down a bit more and achieve what we did last summer. We’ll just wait and see.”
England will seek to breach the Aussie pride, the current holder of the Ashes. McCullum insisted they will try to keep things simple and relaxed as it will open up more chances for them.
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“It’s a challenge, but it’s an exciting challenge.
“The more that’s at stake, the more it’s important to keep it simple and relaxed, to do what gives you your greatest chance.
“At the first sign of trouble, you can’t run away from it. Or at the first sign of all the eyeballs in the world watching you, you can’t run away from what’s been most successful for you.
“That’s when you should be at your clearest, keep things as simple as possible and that will be the message right throughout.”
Australia are the defending champions of the Ashes and they will defend their crown against home side England after they wrap up the WTC 2023 Final against Rohit Sharma and Co. at the Kennington Oval, London.
