ENG vs SA 2022: "There are some real issues for that English side" - Scott Styris on Bazball failing against South Africa

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris believes the England Test team are still beset with some real issues despite the success they enjoyed in the first four games of the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era.

Stokes and Co. were thrashed by South Africa by an innings and 12 runs in the first Test at Lord's last week. The two sides will lock horns in the second Test of the three-match series at Old Trafford in Manchester from Thursday, August 25.

During an interaction on the Sports 18 show Sports Over the Top, Styris was asked whether the so-called 'Bazball' approach was destined to fail against the South African attack. He responded:

"There are some real issues for that English side still. Just because they did well against New Zealand, I don't think it's papered over all their cracks. This (South Africa) is the team with arguably the quickest bowling lineup in world cricket and some of the English players don't do as well against that sort of pace."

Styris believes England are overreliant on Joe Root in the batting department. He explained:

"Joe Root, we know, holds all the cards for this English team, when he fails they don't do very well. When he plays well, they have a huge degree of success. So I think it just simply is that South Africa were able to dismiss him twice cheaply. They put real pressure on everybody else."

Styris named Jonny Bairstow as one of the England players who can be found wanting against express pace. He elaborated:

"Bairstow is one of those players who I was talking about, who doesn't do well with deliveries over 140 kph. We know South Africa has that with almost every fast bowler they have got in this Test match."

Bairstow, who was in scintillating form against New Zealand and India, managed just 18 runs across his two innings in the first Test against the Proteas. He was castled by Anrich Nortje before he could open his account in the first innings and was caught behind off the same bowler in the second essay.

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"I think you have got to understand exactly what Bazball is" - Scott Styris

England's aggressive batting approach has been named Bazball, a take on Brendon McCullum's nickname.

Styris pointed out that 'Bazball' does not imply that almost every delivery needs to be smacked for a boundary. He said:

"I think you have got to understand exactly what Bazball is. I don't think Brendon McCullum is trying to tell his players to go out there and just take them on and try and hit fours and sixes almost every delivery."

The former Kiwi cricketer concluded by stating that an overly aggressive batting approach is always going to backfire. Styris observed:

"It's all about empowering the players to make good decisions when they are out there and to back them one hundred percent. If they are going to go out there and try and blast it to all parts of the ground, I think it is destined to fail."

England chased down massive fourth-innings targets with ease during the Test matches against New Zealand and India before the ongoing series against South Africa.

They were asked to bat in the Lord's Test, but were bowled out for 165 and 149, respectively, in their two innings, with Kagiso Rabada and Nortje being the wreckers-in-chief.