‘Too many mistakes have been made’ – Nasser Hussain suggests time is ticking for England’s ‘Bazball’ management amid recent chaos

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has claimed that the ‘Bazball’ regime led by Director of Cricket Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum has a thin rope amid the kerfuffle surrounding the Test side, both on and off the field. 

The Three Lions suffered a huge 253-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second Test match at the Oval, which was clouded by Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson’s nightclub controversy leading into the game that saw the pair get suspended. 

Hussain believes that England’s recent run of poor form has made it incredibly difficult for Key, McCullum and Stokes to remain safe in their respective positions following the defeat to the Black Caps. The former player-turned-expert has also criticised the leadership for their laidback approach to the game. 

“Too many mistakes have been made in the last year for Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes to be completely comfortable in their jobs now. They are all under enormous pressure going into the third Test. I have really enjoyed watching this England side. Yet as time has gone on, less attention to detail has been paid and the less serious a side they have become. That comes from a lack of good leadership. All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles,” Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for The Athletic. 

Despite all the shortcomings in form and off-field troubles over the past few weeks, Hussain believes that amongst the three protagonists, Stokes is under the least amount of pressure due to his stint as the Test captain. The all-rounder will make a return to the side as skipper for the third game of the series. 

But if you’re asking me who is under the least pressure, I would still say Stokes. He has the most credit in the bank. Just watching him as an ex England skipper, I have enjoyed seeing a captain, in these days of so much data, with a real gut feel for the job and an understanding of the game. And with emotional intelligence and great leadership skills,” Hussain added.