Ashes: England have made Test cricket approachable, attractive, says Sangakkara

If not for anything, forcing a result out of an impossible situation is something Bazball has done to Test cricket and must get its dues. Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, English Test cricket revived, the world got the entertainment they were craving, and results are likely to follow regardless of the conditions, pitch, line-ups and whatnot. Former Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara is up for the same as he awaits the result of the ongoing fourth Test in Manchester.

As things stand, Australia is trailing by 61 runs with five wickets remaining as rain continues to play spoilsport at Old Trafford. For what is at stake, England must win this Test to stay in the hunt for the Ashes because if the game gets washed out and the match gets drawn, Australia will retain the urn.

With more than four sessions already washed out due to rain on days four and five, chances of England finding a way to win this Test are starting to look bleak. It is where the Bazball will come into play, and Sangakkara feels with what is being injected into the side, England know they can pull this off.

Writing for Sky Sports, Sangakkara shared his thoughts and wrote, “England have really turned Test cricket on its head and made it so approachable, so attractive. They have forced results from impossible positions.

“There is also a larger vision of entertainment in Test cricket for this England side and how they make it approachable to the newer generation, the younger generation that have done cricket in reverse – got into the franchise formats, fallen in love with the game and then looked around to see what else is out there,” he further wrote.

‘Winning is important to this English side’

Sangakkara backs the idea of England playing Bazball cricket for the greater good – making Test Cricket result-oriented and full of entertainment. He added for this English side winning is as important as anything, but on the larger front, Kumar feels England is doing something that is bringing fans back to the ground, something this game, or this format in particular, needed.

“Winning is important, and this particular England side want to win, they play to win, but the risks they run playing in the manner they do are worth the times you fail because it is fulfilling the larger vision.

Whatever happens in this series or isolated series does not matter. They have made a huge statement. They have asked fans if they are entertained, and the answer is ‘yes’,” Kumar wrote.