England's Coach Paul Collingwood, Rings Alarm for Australia Prior to Ashes 2023
Paul Collingwood (Twitter)
Australia will be celebrating their victory in the World Test Championship (WTC) and making history as the first team to win ICC trophies in all three formats. They convincingly defeated India by 209 runs, and now their sights are set on their next major event of the year - The Ashes 2023 against England. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday at Edgbaston.
In contrast to India's lack of preparation for the WTC final, England is a completely different team. Over the past year, they have undergone a significant transformation in the Test format, redefining the essence of Test cricket. This style of play has been dubbed 'Bazball' by the cricketing world, inspired by their head coach Brendon McCullum's nickname. While England may not endorse such terms, they place great trust in their team's character, which has reshaped the landscape of Test cricket.
India and New Zealand experienced it last year, and now it's Australia's turn to face the challenge. The English change room has undergone a significant transformation since the previous Ashes series in Australia, and in 2023, England is determined not to relinquish the urn easily.
Meanwhile, Australia is eager to decipher the highly talked-about 'Bazball'. After Vice-Captain Steve Smith's impressive century on the opening day of the WTC final against India, he expressed his curiosity about experiencing this new style of playing Test cricket. The Australian team is keen to understand and counter England's innovative approach in the red-ball format.
“I said it initially when Bazball started that I’m intrigued to see how it goes against our bowlers. I’ve said that all along. They’ve obviously done well against some other attacks, but they haven’t come up against us yet. So, we’ll see. It’s obviously been exciting to watch. I must say I’ve enjoyed watching the way they’ve played and the way that I guess they’ve turned things around in the last 12 months or so. We’ll wait and see how it comes off against us,” Smith had said during the WTC Final.
Australia, brimming with confidence, is expected to bring their A-game against their arch-rivals, considering England's recent success with their unique playing style. However, Assistant Coach Paul Collingwood holds a different perspective.
In response to a Cricketnext query during a media interaction, Collingwood stated that England will not alter their approach and will maintain their intensity, even when facing the Australians. The English team is determined to stay proactive and not let up on their performance, regardless of the formidable challenge ahead
“Very similar to what we have been doing in the past years. Not just because it’s the Ashes, we are not going to approach it in any different way. The guys have had fun playing in this manner, they have enjoyed each other’s company be it on or off the field. It is just about stripping the pressure away from the players and playing like a group of friends. A group of best friends in the part, enjoying each other’s company. “If you get that mentality, the value and skill that you bring to training, and take that into the match and have no consequences then you can get the best out of your ability. No way that they gonna take the foot off the pedal just because it’s against Australia," he said.
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