Ashes 2025-26: 'It's high time England shift from failed Bazball project' - Michael Vaughan

Published - 07 Jan 2026, 20:14 IST | Updated - 07 Jan 2026, 20:34 IST

England are in dire straits in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney. Having already lost the series, England are staring at another defeat as they are only 119 runs ahead at the end of day 4, with two wickets left in the bank. Australia have already taken a 3-1 lead in the series and would love to make it 4-1 on the last day of the fifth Test on Thursday, January 8.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan stated that the Three Lions need to reassess their ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' approach to Test cricket as it hasn't yielded the desired results. The cricketer-turned-expert pointed out that England have not been able to beat India at home, failed to reclaim the Ashes in two attempts, and not made it to the World Test Championship final.

"The way that England play, that 'Bazball method', the ultra-risky method with the bat in hand hasn't worked because they haven't won the big series. They haven't beaten India. They haven't beaten Australia. And obviously they've lost another Ashes series and they're not anywhere near a World Test Championship final," Vaughan said while speaking to Reuters.

"So it's acceptance from the management, the leadership group and the ECB that things need to change," he added.

The former Yorkshire star mentioned that Joe Root's first-innings 160 and Jacob Bethell's composed second-innings ton are the batting templates England should follow going forward.

"That's the tempo of Test match batting, you just play the ball on merit," Vaughan said. "They're all naturally gifted players and they're going to score runs, but the really high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid, hasn't worked," Vaughan stated.

England head coach Brendon McCullum's contract runs till the end of 2027. Vaughan stressed that changing personnel might not be necessary at the moment. Instead, the 51-year-old believes that the mindset and approach need to change.

Ashes 2025-26: AUS vs ENG Highlights – 5th Test, Day 4

"I would hope there'll be discussions after the tour to see where everyone sits. If the team want to stay together, they have to change. It's not down to everyone else to change. It's down to the leadership group to accept," Vaughan opined.

"Stubbornness is a wonderful thing in sport, but it can also be a danger if you think you're doing it right all the time. There need to be honest conversations at the ECB level about whether they can change and move forward with learnings from this trip," he added.