Anything new in Bazball?

England’s Joe Root hits one for a six during his unbeaten 118 on Day One of the first Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Friday. Pic/Getty Images

Call it what you like - Bazball if you must - but England made it very clear under Ben Stokes; "We play aggressively against all teams, including Australia."

What England does is actually employ an old, but clever tactic; they try to win from the first ball in an attempt to take the draw out of the equation.

By attacking sensibly the England batsmen score quickly in order to gauge the opposition's reaction. They got an immediate response from skipper Pat Cummins who surprisingly preferred Scott Boland's steadiness over Mitchell Starc's wicket-taking ability and then set some unusually deep fielders.

Aggressiveness is a major change from an England side that mostly employed conservative ways in the past. However, having witnessed a classic Joe Root century and then surprisingly declared on the first evening, Stokes could happily rate the first challenge a success.

Cummins, a good skipper too

Stokes, like Cummins, is a good captain. He's absolutely correct to try and win from the first ball because it empowers his team and is the best way to unsettle the opposition. What he's yet to discover is how seeking wickets in preference to maintaining a priority of run conservation will work against Australia over a five-Test series.

In addition to a vastly experienced Australian attack and their ability to weather an assault, the batting line-up has also been well-tested. There's the solidarity and strong mentality of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne who Australia will rely on for heavy-scoring in the series.

Travis Head has been counter-attacking for some time and he's experienced success with the ploy against Test attacks. Australia will also be hoping Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green have viable series, but if David Warner overcomes the Stuart Broad hoodoo and scores freely then the England bowlers will feel extreme pressure.

That highlights a problem for England; the advanced age of their experienced pace bowlers. Jimmy Anderson and Broad are both excellent bowlers, but if either suffers an age-related injury then it places a huge burden on the rest of the attack. This is especially so because England is uncertain what Stokes provides as a bowler and spinner Moeen Ali doesn't have a good record against Australia's attacking batsmen.

Under assault the England attack is less likely to hold their nerve than Australia's line-up.

Experienced Aussie attack

Australia have a very experienced and good attack. Therefore much will depend on England's ability to maintain Stokes's tactics faced with an Australian assault and whether they still "think wickets" when things go awry.

Field placings will play a big part if batsmen of both sides continue to succeed with the plan to attack.

The captain who finds the correct spot for his fielders and they then hang on to the catches, will hit upon a good recipe for winning a tightly contested series.
Australia have an advantage as their bowling attack is likely to create more chances and is backed by a superior catching unit. As a team Australia are also more likely to effect a spectacular run out, making them the better overall fielding side.

It's a brave captain who continues to seek wickets [especially with improved bats] rather than depending purely on run saving, but to do so increases the team's chances of victory. The braver individual favours a desire for wickets and will reap the rewards over a five-Test series.

Utilising a bouncer barrage is something both teams have tried, but neither has achieved much success. Both captains need to remember that an accurate and surprise bouncer's greatest attribute is that the batsman is uncertain when it will rear its ugly head.

Stokes's tactic of not giving Anderson the new ball is probably because when the lacquer wears off a Dukes ball it starts to swing more. Another example of Stokes lateral thinking.

The Ashes favour the Australian team except for one small detail; this series is played in the UK. Australia hasn't won a series in England since 2001 and trying to break that hoodoo adds further to the Ashes drama.

Also Read: Big Ashes question: Can England ace Australia's pace?