Joe Root’s persistent vulnerability to leg‑before‑wicket dismissals and England’s inability to turn solid starts into full centuries are the only blemishes on what Nasser Hussain describes as a markedly improved post‑Bazball batting display. In the third Test at Edgbaston, England amassed a massive 453 runs in their first innings, establishing a dominant lead of 320 over Pakistan. The hosts appeared firmly in control and were on track for a 3‑0 series whitewash when rain intervened, leaving Pakistan at 52 for 2 and still 268 runs behind.
Hussain, the former England captain, praised the overall tempo of the English batting line‑up throughout the series. “I’ve really liked the rhythm of the batting in this series,” he said. “We talked early on in the Bazball era about England playing too aggressively and missing chances. They’ve found the right balance now, especially in the middle order with players like Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Dan Lawrence and Gus Atkinson.” He added that even bowlers such as Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer have contributed useful runs, underscoring the depth of the batting order.
Hussain also singled out Emilio Gay for his measured approach at the top, noting that Gay “bats with patience, knows when to absorb pressure, and that’s exactly what English cricket has been craving.” Despite the overall positivity, Hussain identified two persistent problems that England has yet to solve in the Pakistan series. The first concerns Root’s repeated LBW dismissals. All four of Root’s wickets in the series have come via LBW, a troubling pattern for the world’s second‑most prolific Test run‑scorer.
“There are two boxes England haven’t ticked yet,” Hussain explained. “Their premier batsman is battling a specific mode of dismissal – LBW. It’s glaringly obvious.
He tried to fix it in the first innings, made a technical tweak, and then was out LBW again.” The second issue is the conspicuous lack of centuries. While several batsmen have posted respectable half‑centuries – Brook (75), Smith (69), Lawrence (65), Gay (60) and Ollie Robinson (50) – none have been able to push on to three figures. In total, 14 fifties have been recorded across the series without a single hundred, a statistical oddity not seen in an English Test series since the 1888 Ashes.
“The other box is converting those starts into hundreds,” Hussain warned. “You can beat Pakistan with 40s, 50s and 60s, but to overcome a side like Australia or the New Zealand team we faced earlier this summer, you need big hundreds and massive scores.
England simply need to turn those starts into big scores.” Former England paceman Stuart Broad echoed the sentiment, suggesting that the definition of a ‘good’ score may need to be reconsidered given the bowler‑friendly conditions this summer. Broad argued that a 60 on a difficult pitch can be as valuable as a century on a flatter surface. “Top‑order batting has been very tough in this series,” Broad said. “Root, England’s greatest ever player, has struggled for runs.
If he’s struggling, it’s understandable that others will too. We can’t praise Ollie Robinson for taking 20‑odd wickets at an average of around six and then complain we should be seeing more centuries. Honestly, this summer a 60 has felt like a hundred. You’ve had to work as hard for a 60 on these pitches as you would for a hundred on a normal Test surface.” The broader context of England’s post‑Bazball strategy is worth noting.
Since the appointment of Brendon McCullum as head coach and the adoption of an aggressive, free‑scoring philosophy, England has aimed to play positive cricket, taking the game to the opposition. While this approach has yielded high‑impact innings and a more fluid batting style, it also demands technical robustness to avoid predictable dismissal patterns, such as Root’s LBW problem. Coaches have been working with Root on his footwork and bat‑ball angle to counter the line of attack that exploits his front‑foot positioning, but the repeated failures suggest more comprehensive adjustments may be required.
In addition to technical tweaks, mental resilience plays a crucial role. The pressure of converting a fifty into a hundred can be psychological, especially when the team’s overall strategy emphasizes rapid scoring. Players like Brook and Smith have shown the ability to dominate bowlers, but the final push to a hundred often stalls.
Sports psychologists within the England camp have been focusing on goal‑setting and visualization techniques to help batsmen maintain concentration beyond the fifty‑run mark. The series also highlights the evolving nature of Test cricket in England. With pitches offering more assistance to seamers and swing due to overcast conditions and greener surfaces, batting averages have dipped across the board. This has led commentators, including Broad, to argue for a nuanced appraisal of batting performances.
While centuries remain the traditional benchmark of batting excellence, the modern game may need to recognize the merit of gritty, context‑aware innings that contribute significantly to the team’s position despite lower raw numbers. Looking ahead, England will need to address both of Hussain’s concerns before the final Test. Root’s coaching staff must devise a plan—perhaps incorporating video analysis of LBW dismissals, targeted net sessions, and adjustments to his stance—to mitigate the recurring flaw. Simultaneously, the batting order must develop a clearer pathway from half‑centuries to triple‑figures, possibly by encouraging a slightly more measured approach after reaching the fifty mark, allowing batsmen to build innings methodically while still retaining the aggressive intent of Bazball.
If England can solve these two puzzles—eliminating Root’s LBW susceptibility and converting starts into big scores—they will not only solidify their dominance over Pakistan but also lay a stronger foundation for upcoming challenges against higher‑ranked sides like Australia and New Zealand. The balance between aggression and technical soundness will be the key determinant of whether the post‑Bazball era truly elevates England’s Test fortunes or merely produces fleeting flashes of brilliance without the substance of big, match‑winning scores.