PLAN OF HOPE & GLORY
Elgar march on Bazball is music to Stokes’ ears
BEN STOKES believes South Africa are obsessed with England’s new brand of Test cricket and says it is playing on their minds.
South Africa skipper Dean Elgar has been in a tizz over the aggressive method, dubbed ‘Bazball,’ insisting it could leave England with ‘egg on their faces.’
It was a reaction that clearly tickled England skipper Stokes, who appeared delighted his approach seems to be unsettling the South Africans.
“The opposition seems to be doing a lot of talking about it,” said Stokes. “We don’t speak about it that much. We concentrate on what we do.
“We’ve got a style of play. They’ve got a side of play. At the end of the day it is bat against ball and whoever plays the best over a Test match is more than likely to win.
“I’m happy for Dean and the South African team to keep saying they’re not interested but then also keep talking about it. I guess the more you talk about something the more it is in your head. I will ask Dean one day.
“We play cricket how we play cricket, they play cricket how they play cricket. We’re not the ones talking about it all the time – it’s them.”
There appears to be a determination from the South Africans to assert themselves at Lord’s when the first Test starts today in a bid to remind people they are also on a pretty decent run of results.
But Stokes was right, even when Elgar tried to avoid taking a swipe at England’s new approach, that even worked for the Lions against them, he just could not help himself.
“I’m really not going to entertain that phrase anymore,” said Elgar
(inset). “We have chatted about it long and hard and I just want to crack on with the cricket. The game deserves that respect.
“Mudslinging is a thing of the past for me and we are not going to go back and forth around that.
“The warm up was a good exercise and if they come out playing like that in an official Test match and it goes pear shaped that will not look very good for England.
“We have covered our bases. With regards to our bowling unit, we can bowl them out even if they are chasing and I’m pretty confident because we have done it in the past.
“We are not here to play soft-natured cricket, we want it hard and really tough and hopefully the results go our way.”