Overview

• Zak Crawley told The Times that Australia are irritated by England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach and said that reaction plays to England’s advantage.
• Crawley referenced Jonny Bairstow’s 2023 stumping and the ensuing ‘moral Ashes’ debate, arguing those criticisms flowed from a drawn series rather than principle.
• He said England’s combative exchanges in the recent India series showed they will not roll over, echoing Bairstow’s advice to ‘stick your chest out’ against Australia.
• The remarks were reported across outlets including Fox Cricket, The Roar and the Indian Express, with the Ashes a little over a month away.
• The Roar highlighted scrutiny of Crawley’s Test record and noted coach Brendon McCullum’s strong backing of the attacking Duckett–Crawley opening partnership, with no Australian response reported in these pieces.