ELIZABETH BOTCHERBY: The new Lancashire captain expects counties to take Brendon McCullum's directives on board but still expects sides to grind out draws to ensure they achieve their objectives
Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings believes counties will embrace the aggressive style of play adopted by England under Brendon McCullum in the 2023 County Championship.
The batter experienced McCullum's teachings first-hand at the back end of last year after being recalled to England's Test squad for the tour of Pakistan, describing the on-field environment as "good fun".
However, he has urged caution in rolling out the 'Bazball' mindset as a blanket approach owing to the differences between Test and county cricket.
"The Test system and the County Championship system are very different," Jennings told The Cricketer. "At times you can't only play for a win; a draw does seal you staying in Division One, it may seal you a Championship, so I think there are nuances that don't mirror Test cricket.
Counties have been advised about how to mirror England's new approach under McCullum (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
"As a whole, the style in which the guys are playing in order to give yourselves more opportunities to win the game is huge. There will be more sides going towards that. You want to win, you want to put yourself in those problem-solving situations to try to come out on top – that's why we play. But there are times of the year when it can be hard work.
"England can pick the players they want to pick, guys who are in form or pick different styles of players for different tours. We don't have that luxury, but we do have a blended group of guys that are experienced, that are young, that have different skill sets, so it will be different.
"You can't go out with a blanket form of, 'This is the way we have to play' because there are so many things that are different in this environment to the Test environment.
"But taking the opportunity to put pressure on the opposition is huge and I think more sides this season will take the opportunity to try and do that."
Peter Moores expects the County Championship to have a different look in 2023 (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
His reservations echo those of Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores, who, though enthusiastic about approaching matches with a winning mentality, has warned that some players, particularly young batters, may go too hard, too soon in trying to emulate Bazball.
"To have a positive approach to getting a result is a good thing," said the ex-England coach. "I can't see it having anything other than a positive impact over time. But it does mean a few players might get a bit confused for a while.
"To be successful in England, certainly in county cricket on some surfaces, sometimes you have to sit in a little bit. You have to have an aggressive mindset, but it's tough at times. So, players will have to find that balance."
Reflecting on England's tour of Pakistan, during which he was restricted to just a handful of cameo appearances in the field rather than adding to his 17 Test caps, Jennings said: "It was good fun. You're in and around guys who you haven't seen for a couple of years.
"But it was a tough tour. I like getting out, seeing different things, tasting different foods so being stuck in the hotel was hard work."
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