NEW DELHI:Former England captain Nasser Hussain has shared his thoughts on the upcoming Ashes, describing it as a defining test for ‘Bazball’ — the aggressive, high-tempo style of cricket that has become this England team’s trademark.He feels the outcome of the series will play a major role in shaping the reputation of the approach, as well as those behind it.“England say it won’t but it will. This series usually defines England captains and coaches, and this one will,” Hussain told The Athletic when asked if the Ashes will determine how this England side is remembered.“You’ve got to add context. Australia are firm favourites. England have not won a single one of their last 15 Tests in Australia. That’s hard, cold facts. Fifteen Tests, drawn two, lost 13. It shows how hard it is to go to Australia and win.“So if they win it down there for the first time since 2010-11 — and before then, you have to go back to Mike Gatting in 1986-87 — of course it will define this team. Our record in Australia has been abysmal.“If England win the Ashes (managing director) Rob Key, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum will say: ‘There you are, we told you so’. But if they lose it, it will be others saying, ‘Same old story,” he added.Hussain, who helped revive England from the bottom of the Test rankings before handing over to Michael Vaughan — the captain who delivered the iconic 2005 Ashes triumph — stressed that this team’s planning has long been geared toward cracking Australia.“This is going to be a special series because it does feel like the culmination for this regime. Not the end, but this is what they’ve built up to. They came in not long after an Ashes drubbing and the whole game plan for the last three and a half years has been about how to win in Australia. Rightly or wrongly,” he said.Though Hussain admits his own methods as captain were different, he praised the clarity and conviction with which Stokes, McCullum and Key operate.“The thing I really like about it is that they are not overly concerned about what other people think. They don’t worry about the reaction. I like that. I like the attitude of, ‘This is how we’re doing it, and we’ll live or die by it.’ I am a fan of the way England play. I can see why they hate it being called Bazball because that makes it sound like it’s the only way they play. It has been refined over time,” he added.
