AshesSunil Gavaskar slams England's Bazball-inspired umbrella field in Edgbaston Test against Australia

By India Today Sports DeskFormer Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed England’s umbrella fielding for Australia opener Usman Khawaja in the first Ashes Test, calling it a ‘field for TV’ that will not provide them with breakthroughs. The 73-year-old believes that Bazball is only limited to batting and has nothing to do with bowling or fielding.

Gavaskar’s remark comes just days after England lost the first Test against Australia by two wickets in a nail-biter at Edgbaston in Birmingham, falling 0-1 in the five-match series. On Day 5 of the first Test, Australian captain Pat Cummins (44*) shared an unbeaten fifty-plus partnership with Nathan Lyon (16*) for the ninth wicket as the duo chased 281.

“The Ashes series in England seems to have caught the imagination of the cricketing public there. England are batting with a freedom that has not been seen before and more shots, both orthodox and unorthodox are being played under the regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum than before the duo took over. That’s where Bazball stops,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his recent column for Mid-Day.

“While bowling England are not doing anything different from earlier times. Yes, the field placements have been novel, with three men in catching positions on both sides of the wicket. Two fielders on either side of the pitch have been seen before and on air. I have called it a field for TV rather than one to actually get any wicket.”

Gavaskar went on to say that England’s Bazball approach on the pitch was the primary reason for several dropped catches in the Ashes opener. England dropped six catches and missed one stumping (by Jonny Bairstow), while Stuart Broad took a wicket off a no-ball in the Edgbaston Test.

“If anything, the few missed opportunities England had could have been easily pouched if these same fielders had been five to 10 paces back in the normal fielding positions. Upfront and that close the fielders had very little time to react to those hard, but uppish pulls, and so could barely get their hands to the catches.”

The second Ashes Test will begin on June 28 at Lord’s in London.