Can ‘Bazball’ win the Ashes? Ponting has his say

Ricky Ponting weighs in on the Virat Kohli dilemma

McCullum has made a superb start to his international coaching career, with the New Zealander helping England to four straight Test victories since his appointment in May on the back of a more attacking and aggressive approach in all aspects of the game.

It's come as no surprise to Ponting, with the Australian legend well aware of McCullum's strengths as a player and a coach given the duo’s longstanding relationship as opposing captains and coaches on the field, their work together as cricket commentators and their mutual love of other sports like golf and horse racing.

Did McCullum speak to Ponting before taking the England job?

Ponting revealed to the host of The ICC Review, Sanjana Ganesan that he spoke with McCullum about the England job while they both worked at the IPL earlier this year.

But it's been a different story for Ponting since McCullum accepted the role with Australia’s fierce rival, with the former Australia captain instead watching on from afar.

"It might be the Australian coming out in me, but I haven’t reached out to him to say congratulations," Ponting laughed.

"It’s just a little bit hard for me to sit back and watch England play so well.

"When the Ashes starts I’m sure there’ll be a bit of banter starting between him and I and I will start it up then."

How would Ponting stop England's onslaught?

While Ponting was a hugely successful captain for Australia with two World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007 and leading his country to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England in 2006/07, the champion batter is now considered one of the best tactical coaches in the game and had led Delhi Capitals to three consecutive playoff appearances prior to this year's fifth-placed finish.

So, what would he do to try and combat England's attacking prowess if he was still captain of an opposing Test nation?

"You really just have to stay patient, stick to the basics of the game," Ponting noted.

"Once you get put under pressure as a player, you get away from the basics and the things that have made you successful.

"England made it look easy chasing those big fourth innings totals and that says to me the opposition probably got away from what made them successful and probably weren’t focused enough on what they were doing and focused too much on what the opposition were doing.

"As soon as you start to feel the momentum of the game or the innings changing, maybe change things up drastically as a fielding captain – put a few more men back, or go the other way, be ultra-aggressive and not be scared of what the opposition is doing.

"That’s the art of captaincy, to identify momentum shifts and momentum moves in the game to make sure that you are ahead of the curve and not behind it."

Can England remain ‘strong enough mentally’?

England host World Test Championship leaders South Africa in a three-match series starting next month and then travel to New Zealand for two more Tests early next year.

They then battle it out against Australia at home in the United Kingdom in the middle of 2023 in a bid to reclaim the Ashes and Ponting will be eyeing off how McCullum's team faces its upcoming schedule of matches.

"It comes down to skill, obviously, but it also comes down to attitude," Ponting said.

"If these current players are willing to play the same way all the time, regardless of the scenario, regardless of the situation, then it is sustainable.

"I think if you look back through probably the best teams in cricket’s history, I think they have been able to keep pretty much a good, solid core group of players together.

"And what England have got right now is a good balance of youth and experience. Some of the younger guys they have brought into that team for that last series obviously didn't have the mental scars that some of the older other guys might have had.

"The emergence of (Jonny) Bairstow in the middle order and Joe Root continuing on what has been an amazing 18 months, it’s going to come down to the attitude.

"The players are not going to lose their skills in the next few months, but if they just happen to have a few bad games where this really positive, aggressive approach doesn’t pay off, are they going to be strong enough mentally to keep playing that way?

"That is the challenge that Brendon and the players are going to have, and it is going to be intriguing for me and a lot of others to sit back and watch.”

Is ‘Bazball’ an Ashes-winning formula?

While Ponting has been impressed with what McCullum and England have produced in recent times, the Australia legend wonders whether such an attacking style of play will stand up under a high-intensity Ashes series.

"So far it has been unbelievable, and it has actually almost reinvigorated Test match cricket again, hasn’t it?" Ponting said.

"It’s not just coaching, but to be able to change the attitude of some of the English players to not be scared about getting out and to be fully committed to thinking about scoring runs and when you get the ball in your hand to be as aggressive as you can and set nice and aggressive fields.

"The interesting thing is going to be Australia over there (in England) in the middle of next year for an Ashes series.

"When the real pressure of an Ashes series comes around, it’ll be interesting to see if this England team is willing to play the same way. "

Who would win an Ashes series in the UK if it started next month?

While Ponting was reluctant to give a simple one-word answer on this intriguing hypothetical, he did say England would start favourites based upon their current form.

"I don’t think there is much between the teams right now," Ponting said.

"I think there was a big gap between the England team that toured Australia last summer and the current Australian team. I thought there was a big gap in class.

"Just on the back of what they have done in their home conditions, England would probably start slight favourites if it was to happen next month."