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‘Bazball’ has done a lot of things right. It has revitalised Test cricket in its own way, certainly in England, and produced collective batting spectacles and individual tactical masterclasses from its captain, Ben Stokes. But with the good always comes the bad, on and off the field. With a flurry of peculiar claims from players and few results in 2023 and early 2024 to back them up, the line between self-confidence and self-indulgence was slowly being blurred in the eyes of some
Previously in ‘Part 1’ of this feature series, I explored the origins of ‘Bazball’ and the driving force behind the new vision the England Men’s Test team now stands behind.
‘Part 2’ examined some of the pure numbers behind the rise of ‘Bazball’ and Ben Stokes as a leader in an attempt to deconstruct the progress of the team, without the ‘vibe’ clouding the hard facts.
‘Bazball’ has been vocal in its commitment to entertaining the masses in a bid to reinvigorate Test cricket. But has this narrative steered the team into unwanted territory?
In this week’s feature, the penultimate entry in this 4-part series, I will cast the light on some of the recurring issues that, from the outside, have seen Stokes’ men come unstuck in 2023 and on the 2024 tour to India.
I will also provide my thoughts on the fine line between self-confidence and self-indulgence, something the team has been accused of straddling from time to time by voices outside of the ‘Bazball’ bubble.
The batting fragility of ‘Bazball’ has started to become exposed after an exciting honeymoon period
The initial shock factor that took the Test cricketing world by storm has perhaps begun to wear off.
Teams that are disciplined enough to stick to their guns have started to show that, if you remain true to your tactical plans and wait England out, miscalculations with the bat may only be around the corner.
The 2023 Ashes series: a case study in finding that happy ‘Bazball’ batting medium
England’s first real major moment of reflection and introspection was seen during the first two Tests of the 2023 Ashes series.
Pat Cummins and Australia were heavily criticised for their negative and conservative fielding tactics on Day 1 of the 1st Test at Edgbaston. It had appeared that in anticipation of ‘Bazball’, fielders were being stationed on the boundaries expeditiously to stem the flow of 4s.
Regardless of the outside noise, the visitors had the last laugh in the opening salvo of the series and earned the respect of their detractors. The stubbornness of Cummins to remain circumspect in his field placements prompted the English batters to try and break down these tactics with brute force.
Instead, what resulted was a number of the English batters failing to adapt and employ a ‘Plan B’. This became extremely evident during the ‘bouncer-fest’ 2nd Test at Lord’s (though it must be said that Australia’s batters also fell foul in the face of this strategy).
At Lord’s, England’s batters would pull, hook, and swat as Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, and Bairstow all gifted their wickets away at a pivotal moment in the Test, allowing Australia to regain their ascendency in the match.
With a 2-0 scoreline in their favour at the end of the Lord’s Test, Cummins and Australia, deservedly, were lauded for their discipline and conviction to their plans.
The resurgence of 'Bazball' came with a more measured, strategically brutal, approach
To England’s credit, the version of ‘Bazball’ that took the field in the final 2-3 Tests was much more measured and clinical, yet did not compromise on the brutality – something many felt should have been the blueprint from the get-go.
This was perfectly encapsulated during England’s innings at Manchester where Zak Crawley’s 189 propelled England to 592 at a run rate of 5.49.
As the Tests came and went, this more controlled version of ‘Bazball’ ultimately helped England level the series against a now wilting Australian side who had played 6 hard-fought Tests on the bounce (which included the World Test Championship final against India that went into the final day).
To a lot of fans and pundits, England had played the better, more aggressive, and more ‘watchable‘ cricket throughout the series. To others, while the hosts may have been on the front foot for large portions of the series, Australia ultimately won the crucial moments at different stages (even if this meant simply enduring a rampant England bowling attack and surviving for a draw as was the case in the rain-affected 4th Test at Manchester).
Within England the overwhelming sentiment was one of lost opportunities. It felt as though, had it not been for the overly reckless, ‘‘Bazball’ on steroids’ moments at Edgbaston and Lord’s, England could have secured the series win.
Yes, there is a logic and rationale in this argument. But I personally do not always subscribe to the ‘if’ and ‘but’ scenarios.
If one variable changes, it is unlikely all other variables would stay exactly the same. For example, if from the very start of the series at Edgbaston ‘Bazball’ had been the measured, clinical, and brutal beast it ended up being, I have no doubt Australia’s response would also have changed to try and neutralise this.
However, I do believe that England showed superbly what ‘Bazball’ can be if it is kept in check and can be ‘situation-savvy’ as it was in the latter half of the series.
But while the Ashes series ended with England having a renewed sense of satisfaction and belief in their method, things would again begin to unravel on the tour of India in early 2024.
The 2024 tour to India: a case study in highlighting the importance of classical Test match batting adaptability
After a simply outstanding ‘coming from behind’ win in the 1st Test at Hyderabad, spearheaded by Pope’s masterful 196 and Stokes’ shrewd captaincy in the field, England’s batters squandered many an opportunity to capitalise on strong positions with the bat through rash strokeplay and a failure to adapt quick enough.
From the 2nd Test onwards it became clear that the same mistakes were being made. Aided by the comforts of home terrain, Rohit Sharma’s India did not, for even a fleeting moment, take the foot off the throat once England started to falter.
Spin bowling as a concept for both batters and bowlers is vastly different in India than in the SENA countries
Conditions in India, particularly for batters, are arguably the most difficult for overseas batters. I mean, the last series win in India by a touring team was back in 2012/13, by England themselves.
The pitches encourage significant lateral movement off the pitch in the way of spin. Yet, despite there being ample assistance for the tweakers, touring spinners struggle to positively impact games for their team (with the exception of Australia’s Nathan Lyon who currently has 56 wickets at a respectable average of 27.35 in India as of August 2024).
The bottom line is that the quality of India’s spin bowling as a collective – traditionally the team’s forte – far exceeds the quality seen in the other Test-playing nations, with this gulf in class widening when playing in India.
Playing spin in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA) is a totally different entity compared with playing spin in India.
In the SENA countries, which are dominated by the pacers, spinners typically need to rely on flight, guile, and reduced or variable air speeds to give themselves a chance to prise a wicket.
And in Australia specifically, we often see top spin or over spin being more fruitful than pure side spin, with the former allowing the bowler to exploit the bounce on offer there.
Once again, Nathan Lyon has led the way in this respect.
There is often very little deviation off the straight until Days 4 and 5 in the SENA countries, assuming the pitch breaks up (significantly) by then. So on flatter pitches or less spin-conducive surfaces, batters can more often than not hit through the line or trust their cross-bat shots on a regular basis without the fear of the ball turning square, taking the top edge, and/or misbehaving – so long as they have read the length correctly.
In contrast, in India the pitches are, on the whole, slower and lower. Therefore to remain potent with the ball as a spinner, air speeds need to be higher.
Furthermore in recent years, the pitches in India have demonstrated a tendency to spin earlier and often spin quickly.
Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash
Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are masters of their craft, especially at home, and exploit poor decision-making by opposition batters
Ravichandran Ashwin and, in particular, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, drive the ball into the wickets at swift air speeds between 54mph and 60mph (and sometimes quicker in the case of Jadeja who can touch 62mph).
Even Kuldeep Yadav has increased his air speed to become a totally new bowler over the last 1-2 years.
Another unique feature of India’s spinners is their ability to beat both sides of the bat with regularity.
In the case of Jadeja and Patel, their lack of consistent, classical side spin coupled with their goal of bowling quickly and at the wickets mean some balls may turn while others do not as they complete their trajectories from bowler’s hand to batter’s blade.
Add to that the natural variation of a pitch, Jadeja and Patel become a major threat to both edges of the bat.
On the other hand, Ashwin and Yadav possess the carrom ball and googly, respectively, which allow them to put together spells of bowling where they more consciously are able to beat the outside and inside edge of the bat.
With all these tricks in the locker, the modes of dismissal generally seen with India’s spin quartet are LBWs, clean bowled, and caught at slip.
What does this mean for the opposition batters?
One, their stumps will always be threatened. And two, reaction times to decide and execute shots can be markedly decreased (especially with Jadeja and Patel), and premeditated strokeplay which may work on flatter wickets becomes riddled with risk.
All this to say, the version of ‘Bazball’ that may succeed in England may not succeed in India given the high quality of spin bowling the Indian team possesses and the pitches they operate on.
And as it turned out, India’s premier spinners made merry in the 2024 series with Ashwin (26), Yadav (19), and Jadeja (19) bagging plenty of wickets.
Bombastic strokeplay can still thrive in Indian conditions, but situational 'savviness' must be present
Similarly in the 3rd Test at Rajkot, where 20 of the 34 wickets were picked up by spin bowlers, Ben Duckett swept, swept, and swept his way to a terrific 153 off 151 balls.
However, the moment that suggested that ‘Bazball’ was still stuck in a predefined approach (at least at this point in time) was Joe Root’s dismissal at Rajkot where he reverse scooped Jasprit Bumrah to 2nd slip very early on in the 1st session of Day 3.
This seemingly inexplicable blunder from someone with habitually such high situational awareness was an eye-opening moment. It drew the ire of many England fans, as well as Chief Cricket Writer of The Telegraph, Scyld Berry, who described the shot as the “…worst, most stupid, shot in the history of England’s Test cricket.”
On the shot more specifically, this has been one Root has grown to love since ‘Bazball’ started in 2022, frequently pulling it out during England’s dominant batting displays at home.
But when it was executed on that 3rd morning, that too against Bumrah (debatably the best Test bowler currently and certainly in the top 3 alongside Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada), it seemed that ‘Bazball’ had failed to adapt to the situation and conditions it was in.
Being a major Joe Root fan, what was most frustrating about this shot was that it was coming from a player who is at his best when he is just himself. At no point during England’s Test match woes over the last 5 years was Joe Root’s batting, nor his tempo, ever the problem.
Whether it was of his own volition or a change in team directive ahead of the 3rd morning’s play is hard to say from the outside. But this incident appeared to spark a change in Root who, in the very next Test, was back to his old self scoring an unbeaten 122 with reasoned strokeplay as others fell around him.
Despite that momentary blip at Rajkot, Joe Root once again showed that regardless of all the good will and good intention there may be around a bold new vision, there still needs to be some quintessentially ‘Test match’ adaptability and situational awareness when it is required.
As this tour of India progressed, England’s predictable deficiencies with the bat in testing batting conditions were becoming more than just a blemish.
Is there a difference between an aggressive declaration and a hasty declaration?
‘Bazball’s modus operandi of playing to entertain has also taken the form of unexpected declarations.
Declarations are always delicate decisions where captains need to weigh up the target and the amount of time they feel their team needs to pick up all 10 or 20 wickets on the given pitch. There are no real hard and fast rules on this, but more a ‘gut feel’ for the captains.
One of Ben Stokes’ greatest attributes as a captain is his instinctive ‘feel’ for things, especially in the field. That said, there have been a couple of occasions where he has been criticised for perhaps being too quick to pull the trigger.
The Wellington Test against New Zealand in 2023
The first instance was during the 2nd Test at Wellington against New Zealand in 2023.
England were 435/8 in their 1st innings when Stokes opted to go for a proactive declaration with the intent of attacking New Zealand with the ball sooner rather than later.
While England wrecked New Zealand in their 1st innings, the hosts regrouped quickly and scored 483 while following on in their 2nd innings, setting England a target of 258 to get in a little over a day’s play.
As in turned out, we saw one of Test cricket’s greatest finishes as New Zealand won by 1 run.
Stokes and McCullum certainly did not fail to entertain, and as they say, Test cricket was the real winner. But was it a win that England could have ensured beyond doubt had they batted out their 1st innings fully without declaring when they did?
What we do know is the fans were able to witness what Test cricket can be at its best, and Stokes’ declaration did play a part in this.
The Edgbaston Test against Australia in the 2023 Ashes series
The second instance was the 1st Test of the 2023 Ashes series at Edgbaston.
An aggressive declaration on Day 1 pushed the game along as England finished on 393-8 batting first. In reply, Australia made 386, effectively making the Test a straight 1-innings shootout.
England again batted with intent in their 2nd innings to set Australia a target of 282 for victory.
Cummins and Lyon would eventually reach the target in the nick of time and with 2 wickets in hand.
Once again, the fans had been treated to a thriller and another Ashes Edgbaston epic. Australia deserved all the accolades that came their way for playing a better game across the 5 days; specifically Cummins who remained steadfast in his tactics in the field and later with the blade.
But from an England point of view, had it again been a case of being a little too hasty with a declaration? Maybe, maybe not. But it is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
The blurry line between self-confidence and self-indulgence
At its best, ‘Bazball’ has taken Test cricket’s sacred pillars to their greatest peaks.
Bold captaincy, attacking fields, ruthless batsmanship, and an unwavering devotion to the brand of cricket this team wants to play – all hallmarks of a world-beating team.
But at its worst, ‘Bazball’ has occasionally been associated with a self-indulgence and arrogance by some outside of its immediate orbit. This has been fuelled, in large part, by certain remarkable claims made by individuals within the ‘Bazball’ bubble (Figure 1).
Complementing this has been some of the on-field cricket which itself has been viewed as disagreeable by critics.
Ex-England batting stalwart Sir Geoffrey Boycott labelled elements of the ‘Bazball’ batting mentality as “reckless” and “cocky”, as well as suggesting the choice of certain shots was due to a desire to be seen as a “smart alec”.
Meanwhile, Barney Ronay also suggested ‘Bazball’ demonstrated cult-like characteristics in a piece for the Guardian, labelling it as “a cult of bruised masculinity where you win even if you lose”.
Respect cannot be demanded in the absence of consistent displays of excellence
The line between positive reinforcement and the refusal to acknowledge shortcomings or areas for improvement can be a tricky one to straddle in international sport.
Pundits often tell us what separates the great from the good, aside from the pure talent and statistics, is the presence of an ego and a staunch backing of one’s ability and themselves as person.
And there is certainly truth to this.
Three all-time legends, Sir Vivian Richards, Shane Warne, and Wasim Akram, and a modern master, Virat Kohli, are 4 players who, to me, embody this quality the most.
And as a team, the great West Indian and Australian teams of yesteryear exuded an undeniable aura of confidence and self-assurance.
But they have all exhibited prolonged excellence over many years in a multitude of conditions and situations to excuse any apparent brashness.
Granted, ‘Bazball’ is still relatively young and still has a chance to create such a legacy. But in its short time of being, it has almost felt as though ‘Bazball’ has appeared to demand respect as opposed to gradually earn it through consistent wins all over the world.
Most recently, a quote from the English and Wales Cricket Board 2024 documentary, ‘Our Take’, further added to this perception by some in which the captain stated during a team talk: “The reward for our work isn’t what we get but what we become. And what we have managed to do is we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket.”
I, for one, am a great admirer of Stokes’, McCullum’s, and Key’s conviction in their new philosophy. It is something that the England Men’s Test team sorely needed and has brought out the best in a lot of its protagonists within an environment that now champions and rewards authenticity and individuality.
But, if ‘Bazball’ is to stand the test of time, both home and away, there needs to be room for honest and objective judgement when the need arises.
Figure 1. A selection of claims and remarks from the ‘Bazball’ bubble
The 2023 Ashes and the hotly debated 'moral victory'
The appraisal of England’s performance during the 2023 Ashes home series was contentious to say the least.
England did not start the series well as far as the overall numbers were concerned. With a number of errors both in strategy and skill execution, including a spate of dropped catches and an overzealous batting approach, the hosts succumbed to losses in the first 2 Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s.
To many the better team across those 10 days of cricket had won. But there were some who saw things very differently.
Following the Edgbaston loss, pace bowler Ollie Robinson remarked “Australia were unwilling to go toe-to-toe with us”, a claim that aimed to call out Australia’s more conservative, ‘non-Bazball’ tactics.
Robinson added “We played all the cricket in the game. If it wasn’t for us, the Australians wouldn’t have even had a chance to win.”
This received a tremendous degree of blowback from players, pundits, and netizens. Matters were compounded during the highly controversial Lord’s Test in the wake of Jonny Bairstow’s ‘stumping’ by Alex Carey, an incident that opened up the Pandora’s box of what actually constitutes that ever-so-ambiguous ‘Spirit of Cricket‘.
There was a growing feeling that ardent supporters of ‘Bazball’ were beginning to see their new style of play as the gospel, the one way Test cricket needed to be played. Yet, the scoreline at this stage of the series sat at 2-0 in Australia’s favour.
To England’s credit, they surged back into the series with much more discipline and composure to level the series 2-2, with the 4th Test at Manchester drawn in a rain-affected game.
But once again, chatter about perceived superiority and ‘buts’ and ‘what ifs’ began to surface after comments from England batting young gun, Harry Brook, suggested that England would be entitled to claim the “moral victory” if they won the 5th and final Test at the Oval.
Ever since, the phrase ‘moral victory’ has been satirised by those aligned with Team Australia, including Australian wicketkeeping legend, Adam Gilchrist.
On the other side of the fence, supporters of the England team, including British media personality Piers Morgan, continued to double down on Brook’s comments about the ‘moral victory’ belonging to Stokes and his team.
And in some cases, the phrase ‘moral victory’ has been weaponised on social media, creating more vitriol – and in some cases good humour – between English and Australian cricket fans.
In the aftermath of the final Test, supporters of England stated, and understandably so, that they would likely have won the 4th Test had rain not intervened given the precarious position Australia found themselves in.
However, rain and washouts are part and parcel of Test cricket and always have been.
England themselves have been beneficiaries of such rain-affected Ashes Tests, most notably when they retained the Ashes in 2013 in which the final day, again at Manchester, was washed out. On that day, England were 37-3 chasing a steep target of 332, with the Australian team comfortably favourites to win.
When all was said and done, the 2023 Ashes series was as exciting as it was volatile. It put to the ultimate test two sides with vastly opposing ideologies.
England, an enthralling team looking to re-invent the Test game in their country, showed that Test cricket did not have to be played per traditional norms. Meanwhile Australia, World Test Champions of the 2021-2023 cycle, proved that the game’s oldest and most sacred values still have a place in 2023 and could stand its ground against ‘Bazball’.
When the dust settled, the two teams could not be separated by the scoreline. And after all, was that not a fair reflection of the two teams over the course of those 5 Tests?
In my opinion, the two teams were hard to separate.
England certainly played the more brutal, swashbuckling, and front-foot cricket. But this also caused multiple errors that came back to haunt them. Australia may not have exuded that same aggression or ‘watchability‘ synonymous with the modern era, but their discipline and resilience in pivotal moments, that too in foreign conditions, were essential to them winning at Edgbaston and Lord’s, and holding out for a draw at Manchester.
In many ways this could have, and perhaps should have, been this series’ legacy.
Crediting ‘Bazball’ for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 214 off 236 balls
On England’s tour to India in early 2024, Yashasvi Jaiswal announced himself as India’s next big thing at the top of the order.
Leading the way with the bat, Jaiswal amassed 712 runs at a staggering strike rate of 79.91 in the 5-Test series, with 2 tons (both of which were double hundreds) and 3 half centuries. He also comfortably finished the series as the leading run scorer across both sides.
While many credited his innate brilliance and originality, England’s Ben Duckett seemed to have an alternate take on things.
Following the 3rd Test at Rajkot, Duckett suggested England’s ‘Bazball’ was to credit for Jaiswal’s batting intent.
Whether this was intended as tongue in cheek remains unclear. But Duckett was castigated by fans, pundits, and even ex-England captains who were quick to remind England’s opener that Jaiswal was his own man with his own journey to the top, free of any supposed influence by ‘Bazball’.
Moreover, young Jaiswal has had a proven track record of belligerent batting in the Indian Premier League and domestic cricket in India.
Duckett’s comments were yet another instance of bold and brash claims emerging from the ‘Bazball’ camp – a camp which at the time of these comments was heading towards a mammoth defeat (eventually by 434 runs) and a 2-1 scoreline in India’s favour heading into the 4th Test.
What was more alarming was the fact that the England team would not show any further signs of a resurgence as they slumped to a 4-1 series defeat, which also included a loss by an innings and 64 runs in the 5th and final Test.
Next time...
The English summer of 2024 beckons, and preparations have started for the 2025/2026 Ashes tour to Australia.
In the captain and coach, England have a think tank that has been able to conjure wins seemingly out of nowhere. But between these moments of magic, the present iteration of ‘Bazball’ has let them down on multiple occasions.
‘Bazball’ v1.0 has at times appeared one-dimensional. Will Ben, ‘Baz’, and ‘Bob’ Key be willing to refine and repackage ‘Bazball’ into a definitive v2.0 that can be measured, clinical, and brutal in equal measure?
In the 4th and final part of this feature series, I will provide some suggestions, as a pure fan, on how I hope ‘Bazball’ is tweaked such that the legacy they leave behind may not be one of missed opportunities in the showpiece events.
Additionally, I will try and assess how exactly their finest, Joe Root, can best be utilised in a prospective ‘Bazball’ v2.0.
Figure attributions:
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DISCLAIMER
The posts published on this blog are intended simply to provide some food for thought for fellow cricket fans across the world. This is a place which respects and enjoys all cricketers from all nations and, as such, does NOT aim to solely vilify any specific person or team.
Differing opinions and lively debates are more than welcome. However, personal attacks and abuse of any kind will NOT be tolerated here.
Thanks for your understanding.
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I’m a big Cricket fan and has always loved test Cricket. But I’m a bit confuse with the term “Bazball and what the real meaning is behind it. Nice article thou.
Thanks so much, Anthuwin. Great to meet a fellow cricket fan. Haha, yeah…it is all a bit strange. If you are interested, check out ‘Part 1’ of this series where I try and explain what I think ‘Bazball’ is lol. The coach’s nickname is ‘Baz’ which is part of it I guess, but a lot of the other hype is mainly fueled by the media I think…for me, I always preferred the style of cricket South Africa played under Graeme Smith between 2007 and 2014: solid, adaptable, getting the job done.