“England are not binning Bazball” – Nasser Hussain reacts to hosts’ five-wicket win in ENG vs SL 1st Test at Old Trafford

Former England captain Nasser Hussain reckons the English team will not put their aggressive approach on the backburner after winning the opening Test match against Sri Lanka by five wickets at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday. 

The hosts chased down 205 runs in 57.2 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with Joe Root scoring a crucial knock of 62 runs. 

England are known to bat aggressively under the tutelage of Brendon McCullum. The home team scored 358 runs in 85.3 overs at a run rate of 4.19 in the first essay whereas they scored their runs at a run rate of 3.58 in the second innings.

“England are not binning Bazball, far from it,” Hussain said while talking to Sky Sports. “They have got Jamie Smith and Harry Brook, who are going to be in this Test side for a long time, who will absolutely belt it for years to come.

Hussain reckons England batters should be guile in their batting approach when they lose a wicket and bat accordingly to the match situation.

“It is just about being a bit smarter when you are in those positions where it could go either way. In those key moments where we have lost another wicket, where we look to sit in and then we will go again.”

Joe Root decided to fight it out in the run-chase as he took 128 balls to score 62 runs and got the team over the line in the absence of full-time skipper Ben Stokes.

“Joe Root could have played that in so many different ways in the run-chase but he saw there was no [Ben] Stokes after him, he saw there was a slightly longer tail, and a pitch that was suiting Sri Lanka, so he just said ‘I have to be here at the end,'” Hussain added.

Meanwhile, Mark Wood has been ruled out of the next two Test matches due to a thigh injury and Hussain reckons the Lord’s Test will be tricky for the home team.

“It is going to be a tricky one for England heading to Lord’s,” Hussain said. “They have an abundance of seamers but not fit ones, because there are a lot of injuries right now. You think Stone will come in for Mark Wood, that will be a straight swap.

“Chris Woakes is a fabulous cricketer and a magnificent cricketer at Lord’s – his record there with bat and ball is phenomenal – but, physically, he was struggling with his groin or something on day four at Old Trafford.”

The second Test match between England and Sri Lanka will be played at Lord’s, starting August 29.