Give Bazball a break
Some of the language has been unquestionably off-putting, but the Test side now generates optimism for the toughest of challenges. Perhaps their biggest flaw has been raising expectations too quickly
I get it. I honestly do. When a team surrenders the chance to win their most coveted prize, yet suggests the prospect of a “moral victory”, it raises an eyebrow. When a rising superstar from the opposition pummels a breathtaking 214 not out in a decisive match, and the losing team claims the credit, things are getting a little silly. If a captain states his team is on a mission to “save” Test cricket by playing in a certain fashion, yet the team finds ways to lose from dominant positions, it almost feels insulting.
In case the hints don’t give the subject away, I'm speaking about English cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Otherwise known as Bazball. Maybe Ladball. Or I'm sure in certain areas of the global south, Wankball.
If you keep half an eye on cricket, then you’ll know that since 2022, England’s Test team have been led by the ethos-sharing pair of Stokes & McCullum. During this three-year whirlwind, England have inspired awe, genuinely revolutionised the way the longest format can be played, but come out second in the biggest fixtures, generating more frustration and resentment than many sides before them.
Importantly, though, they’ve won more. Using Stokes’ timeframe as captain as an index, England have had their most successful three-year period in Test cricket in the last 25 years.
What’s more, Stokes’ men have gone unbeaten in home series, dug out three remarkable victories in Pakistan, and beaten New Zealand on their home turf. Something that doesn’t happen all too often.
The surge in run rate is well-documented, yet electric. The style of cricket has transformed players’ confidence and injected the time into games needed to pull off previously unthinkable results. This team, amongst all the post-match bluster, deserves so much credit for its improvements in the last three years.
And yet, it would be short-sighted not to point out the flaws. England have played two marquee series during this time, a home Ashes in 2023 and a five-match jaunt in India during the winter that followed. On both occasions, they came up short. Especially in India, where after taking a 1-0 lead, Stokes and his team faltered in key moments - a collapse from 224-3 to 319 all-out in the 3rd Test being the most notable - eventually losing 4-1 in a disappointing showing overall.
The home Ashes of 2023 requires further scrutiny. For all its critics at home and abroad, ‘Bazball’ had, by the now-infamous 4th Test in Manchester, spun a cross-format, world-beating Australian side into complete discombobulation. As the ball flew through to Alex Carey whilst Jonny Bairstow sprinted byes, Australia were gasping for air.
It will never be known, but England’s overwhelming dominance in the rain-affected draw pointed towards a remarkable victory, teasing a once-in-a-generation showpiece at The Oval that wasn't to be.
Regardless, England came back from 2-0 down to salvage the series, playing some scintillating cricket along the way. The critics of this regime will point to the 1st Test at Edgbaston and Stokes’ declaration. A valid point, no doubt. Perhaps a more ruthless outfit wouldn’t have lost. But, optimists will tell you England were in the driving seat from ball one, and far more competitive in this defeat than they were in the equivalent fixture four years previous, where Steve Smith’s twin hundreds set the tone for a series in which England never got a foothold.
Perhaps above all, this polarising team's greatest flaw is the speed at which they raised expectations. Before Stokes’ time as captain, England had redefined the batting collapse during the later part of Joe Root’s tenure, with a solitary win in seventeen matches calling time on his reign. In 2021, the third-highest scorer for England was accumulated Extras, narrowly behind Rory Burns, who was over a thousand runs short of Root. England were a one-man band.
Just six months after Stokes took charge, England had won nine out of ten matches, completed their record run-chase (378/3 vs India), and manufactured the aforementioned 3-0 win on dead pitches in Pakistan. Things changed so quickly that there’s a danger of forgetting, quite frankly, how miserable things were before.
Despite the disappointing showing in India and the defeat upon returning to Pakistan in the autumn of 2024, Stokes and McCullum have enough credit in the bank - in cricketing terms - for fans to remain optimistic. A victory at home against Australia back in 2023 would have given supporters of this group the currency they need to make the narrative unflappable. But as we know, that victory never came. That is why - as has been decided by all in the media - the next 9 months will go on to define the legacy of this team. And as it should. Three years in, it’s time England turned this remarkable improvement into consistency and found the ruthlessness required to cement themselves into greatness.
Regardless of what you think of Bazball and all that’s come with it, England win more matches and are unquestionably a better team. However, the time for marquee success is now.