Ex-Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has dismissed Zak Crawley’s recent claim about Bazball, saying that Australia have played positive, aggressive cricket long before England adopted their current style.

While speaking to Kayo Sports, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, Gilchrist said: “We were playing that style 20 years ago. That’s simply how cricket should be played. No, Bazball doesn’t bother me at all—it’s entertaining to watch. I say, bring it on.”

According to Crawley’s comments in The Times, the aggressive brand of cricket led by McCullum and Stokes visibly irritated the Aussies during the 2023 Ashes, which ended in a draw.“Bazball really winds them up, doesn’t it? It works in our favour. If they’re rattled, that only helps us. All the talk after the last series about the so-called ‘moral Ashes’, especially after the Bairstow dismissal at Lord’s, was just a reaction to the series ending in a draw. I honestly believe that if they’d won, they wouldn’t have mentioned it. So in a way, it’s flattering that they felt the need to bring it up.”

England’s coach, Brendon McCullum, Bazball philosophy promotes fearless and attacking batting in Test cricket. This approach has led to some spectacular performances with England registering 25 wins and 14 losses in 41 Tests.

Adam Gilchrist, with 5,570 runs in 96 Tests at a strike rate of 82, played a vital role for Australia.

Following their 3-1 triumph in the 2010/11 Ashes series in Australia, England have struggled on their tours Down Under, suffering a 5-0 thrashing in 2013/14 and then losing the two subsequent series 4-0. Nevertheless, the English team remains confident ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes contest.