Geoffrey Boycott Blasts England: Winning Ashes More Important Than Entertainment

England legend Geoffrey Boycott criticized Ben Stokes’ team for prioritizing entertainment over winning, saying their aggressive approach under Brendon McCullum, nicknamed “Bazball,” is in danger of turning the Ashes into an exhibition series.

England, known for their attacking batting since McCullum took charge as coach, lost the first Ashes Test to Australia by two wickets at Edgbaston this week.

“England are at risk of reducing the Ashes to a mere spectacle,” Boycott wrote in a scathing column for The Daily Telegraph. “They’ve gotten carried away with ‘Bazball’ and seem to think entertainment trumps winning. But England fans crave one thing above all else – winning the Ashes.”

The former captain emphasized winning over entertainment.

“Scoring quickly and hitting boundaries is exciting,” Boycott said. “But only if England don’t lose sight of the ultimate goal, which is defeating Australia. If the series ends with Australia retaining the Ashes, entertainment won’t matter.”

Geoffrey Boycott had earlier backed England to win the coveted Test Series in subcontinent

Boycott argued that the historic rivalry between England and Australia would lose its significance if England don’t prioritize winning.

“If England aren’t playing to win, then these Ashes Tests are meaningless, just glorified exhibition matches. They’ve got it the wrong way around. It’s about winning first, then entertain.

“Absolutely, entertain the crowd, but cricket is like chess. There are times to defend and be patient. Don’t just attack blindly. England need some common sense and pragmatism. That’s all it takes. They don’t have to abandon their positive approach because they’re a better team than Australia and will win if they just use some common sense,” he added.

Boycott believes England failed to capitalize on their opportunities despite dominating parts of the match.

He questioned England’s decision to declare their first innings at 393/8 with Joe Root unbeaten on 118.

“The basic rule is to score big when the pitch is good before it deteriorates. England could have added another 40-50 runs with Root at the crease and Ollie Robinson, who can bat, but they declared to try and take wickets.”

Boycott concluded by saying, “If we’re more interested in accolades than winning, then we’re on the wrong track.”