"Cummins and Australia have sent a message to England that they’re almost scared of them" - Michael Vaughan on Bazball's effect on the visitors

Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently spoke about how 'Bazball' left a lasting impression on Pat Cummins and Co. in the 2023 Ashes. The five-match series ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw after a fitting culmination at The Oval, where England prevailed by 49 runs.

Australia had a comfortable 2-0 lead in the series after two Tests, and looked on course to win their first Test series on English soil since 2001. However, England persisted with their aggressive approach for the second half of the series and nearly made a historic 3-2 comeback in the series.

While England did their part across the remaining matches, they were helpless during the fourth Test at Old Trafford as rain washed out the entire fifth day.

Vaughan feels that the series result would have put more pressure on Australian captain Cummins than English skipper Stokes. The former batter wrote in his column for the Telegraph:

"This Ashes has ended up as a 2-2 draw, but of the two captains there are going to be far more questions about Pat Cummins’ method than Stokes'. Meanwhile Cummins and Australia have sent a message to England that they’re almost scared of them. They’ve been so, so worried about what England can do that at times they’ve forgotten about their own strengths."

Cummins, despite a recent World Test Championship (WTC) triumph and the retention of the urn, was widely criticized for his defensive tactics - which took shape in the very first session of the series opener. The Aussies were outplayed for vast stretches, particularly in the fourth Test, and scraped through with a series draw.

Vaughan further suggested that the two sides swapped places for the series and branded Australia as 'fearful.'

"So even though they won the World Test Championship final against India and leave England with the urn retained, Cummins goes home with more questions than answers," he wrote. "This summer England have played in that Australian way. And Australia have been left looking like England in the 1990s: too attritional and fearful. England have done to Australia what Australia have done to them many times before."

Fans and pundits have also expressed their reservations about Cummins' workload and his balance between captaincy and bowling. However, the skipper had himself quashed such claims and had also received endorsement from head coach Andrew McDonald on a recurring basis.

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"The tourists have tried but I think they’ve been spooked by Bazball" - Michael Vaughan

The stark contrast in the playing styles of the two teams was expected to be the foundation of the series, and it turned out exactly that way. While there was nothing to separate the two arch-rivals on paper, Australia were on the ropes on multiple occasions, something which Vaughan believes England can take as a huge positive.

Claiming that Australia were 'spooked' by Bazball, Michael Vaughan wrote:

"The tourists have tried but I think they’ve been spooked by Bazball. In the field they’ve been far too attritional and reactive at times, and they’ve also let England stick to their own plans with the ball. We all talk about the batting side of Bazball but with the ball England have always created new angles and challenges, even on some flat wickets."

The two sides have kickstarted their 2023-25 World Test Championship campaign with a stellar series. Their next red-ball endeavors will take place after the 2023 ODI World Cup.

While Australia will begin their home season with a series against Pakistan, England will tour India for a grueling five-match series.