Ex-Aussie captain Taylor points out "confusion" in England's batting, urges team to follow skipper Stokes' conservative play
Dec 09, 2025
England's attacking 'Bazball' approach as a batting unit did not pay them any dividends in the first two Ashes Tests. At the same time, they faced a helpless, two-day loss at Perth, courtesy of a Travis Head form; none of their batters, except centurion Joe Root, Zak Crawley and skipper Ben Stokes, managed to bat out for really long. After giving Australia a 177-run first-innings lead with 511, there was no coming back for England, as, except for a 96-run stand between Stokes and Will Jacks, they fell apart for 241, setting Australia an easy 69-run target to win.
