Photo courtesy: IANS
The term “bazball” was first used in the 2022 English cricket season. It frequently refers to the tactics used by the England national cricket team following the May 2022 nominations of Ben Stokes as England’s Test cricket captain and Brendon McCullum (sometimes known as “Baz”) as the squad’s head coach for Test matches. According to reports, the Bazball philosophy and style place a strong focus on making wise choices in attack and defence, whether batting or playing on the field.
Since McCullum took over as head coach, the English team’s aggressive and offensive style of play—often referred to as “Bazball”—has helped them win ten of their twelve Test matches. Some cricket commentators have lauded Bazball for its thrills and entertainment value, while others have criticised it for being unreliable and overly hazardous. The England team’s new style of play has undoubtedly had a significant impact on Test cricket, and it will be intriguing to observe how it evolves in the upcoming series.
Bazball in the Ashes?
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The biggest test for the Bazball style of play is The Ashes. According to reports, Ben Stokes has requested flatter pitches for the highly anticipated test series against Australia. The groundsmen in England were instructed by England’s red ball skipper to create quick and flat wickets so that the hosts could score runs even more quickly.
Stokes while talking to Sky Sports in an interview said, “We’ve been very clear, especially with the ground staff around England, about what type of wickets we want.” He further said, “They’ve been very responsive to us which has been good. We want fast, flat wickets. We want to go out there and score quickly. It brings their [Australia’s] guys in and if they’ve got fast wickets to bowl on then they’ll be happy with that as well.”
Stokes even stated that he would like to have a variety of fast bowlers available for every game. Jofra Archer and Olly Stone have already been ruled out for the summer, leaving Mark Wood as the only express-pace bowler capable of above 90 mph. In the vital 5-match series, Wood will be a key player.
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England team before Bazball
The last time the Ashes were played in Australia, England was destroyed 4-0. Additionally, in the previous 14 games under Joe Root’s captaincy, England had only one victory. Even though skipper Root was unquestionably their best batsman at the time, the team had suffered numerous defeats and had never scored more than 300 runs in an innings in the Ashes.
Harry Brook, who has four hundreds and three half-centuries in just six test matches, is one example of how this style of play has produced some outstanding individual performances. His strike rate is currently 98.78, which makes it even more astonishing that these runs have arrived at such a rapid pace.
The first test, which will be played on June 16, will present the largest challenge for this English team. If the Australian bowlers put England on the back foot during the series, it will be interesting to see how they respond.
Also Read: Will BCCI accept PCB’s hybrid model for Asia Cup?
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