Australia will be "scared" of "Bazball" and could be whitewashed in the Ashes - Darren Gough

The Yorkshire director of cricket said that Australia would already be having meetings about how to stop “Bazball”.

Under head coach Brendon “Baz” McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, England have won nine out of 10 Tests and revolutionised the way that the game is played.

Through fast scoring and ultra-positive tactics, they have thrown convention out of the window in a way that Gough believes will strike fear through the Aussies.

“I think Australia will be scared,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

“I literally think they’ll be thinking, ‘What are we going to do? How are we going to stop it (“Bazball”)?

“They’ll be having meetings about that now. How are we going to stop it?

“It’s unbelievable what England are doing, the way that they’re playing. It was brilliant to watch them against Pakistan (when England won 3-0). I was blown away by it.

“England could win that series (the Ashes) 5-0. They’re all quality players, and there’s only one way they’re going to play.

“England’s biggest decision now is who is going to play? I mean, good luck picking those first six batters. I don’t know how they’re going to do it, I really don’t.”

Australia will provide a step up in class to what England have faced since McCullum and Stokes took over earlier this year.

England whitewashed New Zealand 3-0, won their rearranged Test match against India and then saw off South Africa 2-1 before the Pakistan tour.

“That’s not to say it’s going to be easy,” said Gough.

“What we’ve got to be careful of… look, it’s like anything, you’ll only see if it’s been truly successful (“Bazball”) when we play Australia, because the teams we’ve played have been weakened.

“Even that Pakistan team; we all know that wasn’t their strongest, but to do it in Pakistan (win 3-0) and play like that was absolutely awesome.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Stokes and McCullum, and also to ‘Keysy’ (Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket).

“I know ‘Keysy’ and I know he thinks very similar to what I think, and I’m so pleased for him. Getting Stokes and McCullum has worked really well.

“Those two guys are fearless anyway. They’ve nothing to prove. They’re both very, very wealthy individuals and they play that way. They play with no fear.

“When you’ve got people setting an example like that, playing with no fear, everybody follows. If your captain is fearless, and your senior players are fearless, everybody follows.

“This England team can play on flat pitches, knowing they’ll score at seven an over and that they’ll have two-and-a-half days to bowl a team out, so it doesn’t matter.

“It’s frightening, but it could go the other way, of course. They could play Australia and lose, but I just don’t think they will. I definitely think Australia will be worried.”

One cause for Antipodean concern will be Yorkshire’s Harry Brook, who has taken to Test cricket like a duck to water.

Brook was man-of-the-series in Pakistan, the 23-year-old scoring a hundred in each of the three Tests, amassing 468 runs in the rubber at 93.6.

“Brook is an unbelievable player,” said Gough.

“For us last season, whenever he played, I never thought we were going to get bowled out twice. Him and Malan: they were our best two players with the bat. We didn’t see them after the first seven games. They didn’t play again.

“Brook plays to the conditions. He can play defensive and watch, but he’s always looking to score as well.

“I’m very proud of him. I can’t believe - and I’ve said this to ‘Keysy’ - that he’s not centrally contracted already, and that’s not to save us money.

“Listen, I signed him on a five-year deal and that’s paid for. That’s not to save us money. But, let’s be honest, why isn’t he centrally contracted now? What are we waiting for? He’s playing all the formats.”

Gough continued: “This year, the way he’s come on - he was a good player anyway - is fantastic.

“He’s a ridiculous cricketer. Good fielder. Bowls a little bit. But the batting is out of this world.

“The last bit of his development now is understanding ground dimensions.

“I think we all know his hitting areas now, where he hits, and in Australia - he’s been there twice now - and that’s the only place he’s struggled. And I think it’s due to the size of the boundaries.

“In Pakistan and India, those shots are sixes. But, in Australia, you’re caught out on the edge, so he’s got to just readapt his game when he goes there next, but as a player he is absolutely amazing and such a great bloke. He wants to play, wants to train. Brilliant.”