New Delhi, Nov 19 (NationPress) Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has claimed that England's Bazball strategy was tailored specifically to clinch the Ashes in Australia. He further criticized the team for being misleading regarding their approach and outcomes in public communications.

Numerous analysts and commentators echo this sentiment, including Nasser Hussain, who pointed out that the English squad has been diligently preparing for the past three years to triumph over Australia on their home turf. However, Ponting conveyed to 7NEWS that England's bold tactics under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have consistently aimed at mastering the conditions in Australia, despite the team's portrayal of it as a long-term evolution.

“They've been a cohesive unit for two years (since the 2023 Ashes), gearing up for this. As far as I’m concerned, Bazball, which I know Brendon quite well, was solely devised for this particular series. Forget everything that’s transpired over the last two years; it was all about uniting a squad with a playing style capable of winning Test matches here. They've achieved this only four times in the past 25 years, and they must do it at least three times this summer, so I’m eager to see their performance,” Ponting remarked.

The 2023 Ashes kicked off with a clear declaration of England's ambitions. Australia set a deep backward point for the first ball at Edgbaston, yet Zak Crawley drove it through cover for a boundary. Ponting predicts that England will maintain this aggressive strategy throughout the summer, adding that this predictability opens doors for Australia.

“I don’t believe they will alter their method. Having observed them over the past two years, I’m confident they will continue to play the same way. Ben Duckett and Crawley will stick to their established playing style. If they can, England will opt to bowl first and trust themselves to score more runs in the fourth innings than the opposition does in the first. That’s not going to change,” he asserted.

“When you speak about Bazball and their playing style as extensively as they have in recent years, you can’t just abandon it abruptly. They must persist. This is one area Australia can leverage. Understanding that England has to be ultra-aggressive allows for various field placements and tactics to draw them and their egos into the game during a Test match,” he added.