AB de Villiers compares England’s Bazball approach with MS Dhoni’s style of captaincy in IPL 2023

England have adopted an aggressive strategy known as ‘Bazball cricket’ against Australia in the ongoing Ashes Test series.

Former South Africa cricketer, AB de Villiers has praised coach Brendon McCullum’s side for their ‘Bazball’ approach. De Villiers has compared it to the captaincy tactics of MS Dhoni during the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

“I never looked at the Birmingham weather leading up to this Test match. The way England played now makes sense. Call it what you want, some say Bazz Ball, I just think it’s smart Cricket. The best teams are prepared to adapt and play situations in a way that’ll ultimately put them in a winning position more often than the rest, whether that’s by making bold declarations or playing reverse sweeps a lot, whatever it takes,” said De Villiers.

“The only way to make it impactful is to have a complete buy in from every individual, no ego’s, no stats driven players, just a full on buy in to be the best team in the world. That’s how I see the Eng team play atm. Also saw that with MSD and co,” he added.

Notably, Australia beat England by two wickets to win a thrilling first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday.