Opinion
Bazball epitaphs filled plenty of column inches following England’s narrow defeat in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Birmingham.
The polarising strategy of all-out attack inspired by coach Brendon McCullum has electrified Test cricket and rejuvenated a previously embarrassing English side. Yet somehow Bazball has caught the ire of the toffee-nosed establishment. Geoff Boycott has labelled it a circus and Michael Vaughan is a fervent critic.
Vaughan won 26 of 51 Tests as skipper. Under Ben Stokes England has won 11 of 16 Tests which is statistically superior and a greater record than heavyweights like Douglas Jardine (9/15), Mike Brearley (18/31), and Peter May (20/41).
It should be noted this is Stokes’s first Ashes series against the world Test champions who thrashed England 4-0 in their previous series.
Was the declaration after 78 overs in the first Test premature? Probably.
Without it, however, the likelihood of a result due to the weather was virtually zero. Australia was eight down with 55 runs required on the last day.
Most bowling teams win from that position. England’s inability to seal the deal is not a failure of Bazball. They weren’t clinical enough when it counted but wouldn’t have been able to push in the first place had they not advanced the game with such ambition and skill.
On paper England simply aren’t good as Australia. They lack a genuine world-class spinner and the support behind ageing titans Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad is somewhat meek.
The batting is a better story. Joe Root liberated of the shackles of captaincy (England won just once in his last 17 tests in charge) has been joyous and prolific. Ben Duckett and Harry Brook (averaging 74) have been a revelation. Even Ollie Pope is contributing after nearly losing his place on the roster.
Scoring plenty quickly is the fastest way to build pressure. This was Don Bradman’s logic in The Art of Cricket.
Does anyone really think England can beat Australia if they don’t take it to the Aussies?
For years Australia has been the enforcer, albeit with less pyrotechnics. Conforming to a more orthodox, polite methodology will lead to the same outcome as before – lame defeat.
Bazball is more than hedonistic slogging. It’s a mindset of no fear. It’s about being perpetually positive, and innovative, and refusing the underdog tag. McCullum himself said.
Brendon McCullum (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
“You have to be prepared to marry yourself to a position and that for us is freeing guys up to play the style of cricket that gives them the greatest amount of satisfaction and could transfer to results.”
Bazball is the logical progression of Brendon McCullum, a daring original who transformed lowly New Zealand with similar brilliance and brazenness.
New Zealand’s rarely been one of the best teams in the world but under McCullum were a respected unit. He won 11 and drew 11 of 31 tests a record comparable with Geoff Howarth who conquered the Aussies and held the West Indies in the 80s. In 2021 New Zealand won the first World Test Championship.
McCullum’s Test match strike rate as captain was 73.77 –the highest for any player with at least 1500 runs as captain in Tests. He holds the record for the fastest century in Tests, which came off just 54 balls. He scored it against Australia in 2016, in his final Test match.
In one day, cricket McCullum guided New Zealand to 36 wins in 62 matches. They were finalists at the World Cup for the first time in 2015, a feat they repeated in 2019.
New Zealand’s win/loss ratio under McCullum’s captaincy in ODIs was the ninth-best win/loss ratio for a captain who has led in at least 50 ODIs and the best for any New Zealand captain.
England might not win the Ashes but at least they’ll go down swinging unlike some of the pathetic and staid teams of the past.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Australian fast bowling great Jason Gillespie has been named head coach of Pakistan's Test team, as the nation overhauls its coaching department ahead of…
Will Jacks got RCB past the 200 target set by Gujarat with four overs to spare.
With Rajasthan needing 25 off 17, both batsmen ended up at the same end but the bowler dropped the throw from his teammate -…
A six-laden, 27-ball 84 from Jake Fraser-McGurk to continue his outrageous debut IPL!
Johnny Bairstow has hit his way back into form with a 45-ball century as he steered his side to a record-breaking win, easily chasing…
It seems franchise cricket has forgotten about the great battle between bat and ball. In fact, this season in the IPL there is no battle at all.
