If we talk about fearless cricket and positive intent in test cricket, the word ‘Bazball’ is perfectly suited. ‘Bazball’ has taken England cricket to the next level where they don’t fear losing. England has changed the traditional style of test cricket and they got some amazing results. They defeated South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan applying this attacking mode of cricket. They are playing the test matches like one-day internationals. Jonny Bairstow described it as “Freedom”.
The concept of ‘Bazball’
When it all started:
The name was first published by ESPNCricinfo journalist Andrew Miller after former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s appointment as the head coach in May last year. ‘Baz’ was his nickname during his playing days, and he was famously known for his aggressive and positive brand of cricket. Brendon McCullum who loved to play attacking shots is exactly the mindset that is being adopted by the English players, especially in Test cricket. Strike rate of top English batsmen have increased significantly after the introduction of the Bazball, especially Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Harry Brook.
In the English dressing room where Ben Stokes is the new captain, Players are ready to bat without any fear, playing unorthodox shots and putting pressure on the opposition teams. With the players like James Anderson and Stuart Broad, taking wickets is the main priority on the field. They just don’t want to draw the match by playing this type of result-oriented cricket.
Success Of ‘Bazball’
The best example we can take to understand the success of Bazball is the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan last December when England scored 506-4 on Day 1 of the match with three batsmen hitting the centuries- Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Harry Brook. It was the most runs scored by any team on the first day of a match in the history of Test cricket. England managed to beat Pakistan just before the end of day 5 on a flat track of Rawalpindi only because of Bazball.
‘Question Of longevity’ and Criticism
Earlier this year, No.1 test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin made a statement about Bazball that it might be not suit in all conditions. He explained: “We now have a concept called Bazball. England is playing high-paced Test match cricket. They want to play a certain style of cricket. But in certain types of wickets, when you try and attack every ball, you will falter. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach,”.
Australia’s top batter Steve Smith also questioned the longevity of this style. He said- “It’s been exciting. I’m just intrigued to see how long it lasts, “If you come in on a wicket that’s got some grass on it and Josh Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc are rolling in at you, is it going to be the same? “I’m intrigued by it all… Is it going to work every time? I don’t know.” if it’s sustainable,”.