Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said England’s use of Bazball over the past three years has been designed “only” for this Ashes series.Ponting said England are unlikely to change their top-order because the batting group has been built for the fast, attacking style they have followed under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.England have arrived in Australia with the tag of being an “aggressive” Test side. They plan to score at high rates with unconventional shots, a method they have used since McCullum took charge in 2022.The approach has brought mixed results, but England have stayed with it as part of a three-year plan leading into this tour of Australia.Ponting told 7NEWS that England’s attacking method under McCullum and Stokes has always been shaped for Australian conditions, even if it has been presented as a long-term shift.“They’re a side that have been together for two years (since the 2023 Ashes) building up to this,” Ponting told 7NEWS. “Bazball, as far as I’m concerned, and I know Brendon reasonably well, was only designed for this one series.”He added, “It’s been about trying to find a group of players and a style and method that’s going to stand up and potentially win an Ashes series in Australia.”Ponting compared the approach to England’s preparation before the 2019 ODI World Cup.“Wind the clock back, when England won the (50-over) World Cup under Eoin Morgan in 2019, it was exactly the same theory they had then.”“They picked a group of guys that they had kept together for two years. It didn’t matter how they performed in the games leading up, it was all about being ready and confident for the World Cup and that’s what they’ve done with this squad,” Ponting said.He also said England are expected to persist with Ollie Pope at No. 3.“There’s been talk every series about Ollie Pope at No. 3 and do we stick with him? Do we axe him and bring Jacob Bethell in? But they’ve stuck with what they’ve got now. I’ll be surprised even if he (Pope) doesn’t start well if they make any changes through this series to their top-order batting.”Ponting said England face a difficult task in Australia.“They’ve only done it (won a Test in Australia) four times in the past 25 years, and they’re going to need to do it at least three times this summer, so I can’t wait to see how they play,” he said. England on Wednesday named their 12-man squad for the first Test, which begins on November 21 in Perth.
