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Morne Morkel Shuts Down BazBall Fear Theories After India’s Late Declaration

Rajgeeta Yadav

India declare their innings [Source: AP Photos]India declare their innings [Source: AP Photos]

On Day 4 of the second Test at Edgbaston, India declared their innings at 427 for 6, setting England a gigantic target of 608 runs to win. This decision came after Shubman Gill’s historic century and valuable contributions from other Indian batters like Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. With just over an hour left in the day, India finally called their batters in, but the timing raised some eyebrows.

Many fans and experts wondered: Why wait so long to declare? Was India nervous about England’s aggressive BazBall approach?

BazBall, a term used to describe England’s bold and attacking style of Test cricket, has made many teams rethink their strategies. After all, England had successfully chased down 378 runs at the same venue against India in 2022. So, the question naturally came up, did India hesitate because of fear of another BazBall blitz?

India Bowling Coach Morne Morkel Clears the Air

India bowling coach Morne Morkel was quick to dismiss the idea that fear played any part. At the press conference after Stumps on Day 4, he clarified:

“Worried? No, not really," Morkel said. “I think if a team scores 500+ on the final day, then they deserve to win. So, I think it was just a little bit more time. Ideally, give an hour, a little bit more than an hour at them tonight, with Day 5 around the corner," he added.

His response made it clear that the Indian camp had confidence in their bowlers and were simply being calculated in their decision-making.

And that calculation paid off. In the hour or so of play before stumps, India made serious inroads into England’s batting lineup. Akash Deep took two wickets and Mohammed Siraj claimed another, reducing England to 72 for 3. 

With seven wickets in hand and 536 runs still to chase on the final day, England now find themselves in a near-impossible situation.

Their assistant coach, Marcus Trescothick, admitted that England are not naïve and would consider a draw to be a satisfactory result from here on.

Still, Morkel couldn’t resist poking a bit of fun at England’s bold claims. Referring to a comment by England’s vice-captain Harry Brook, who said England would chase down whatever total India set, Morkel said, "If they are happy to take it on (so be it)."

Notably, India’s decision to declare after setting their second-highest ever Test target, only behind the 637-run target set against New Zealand in 2009, now appears justified. Their batters had done the job, with Gill’s blistering century and solid performances from others like Jadeja, Pant, and Rahul.