Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum in discussion (Source:@abhi7781_/X.com)
"The media name Bazaball - everyone says 'what is it?' In my opinion it's wanting to be a better player. In the face of defeat and failure, Bazball will hopefully inspire people to become better players and become even better than what we are."
The above statement is from Ben Stokes, the flagbearer of Bazball, trying to explain England's new outlook towards Test cricket. These remarks from English captain came in 2024, almost two years after it all started at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground. Ben Stokes here seems to be indicating towards the mindset where each player tries to be the best version of himself, irrespective of the results.
So, are results not important for England? It is hard to believe so. In fact, Bazball itself came into existence after England hit rock bottom with a series loss in the Caribbean. Following that debacle, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum were handed the responsibility of bringing English cricket back in the purest form.
Bazball's Emergence As Saviour From Old-School English Era
They did not disappoint in their maiden outing, starting off by whitewashing New Zealand through an orthodox route of aggressive batting which very few traditionalists in England would have ever dreamt of.
Soon, the chatter about the revolution of Test cricket in England started gaining ground. It seemed like Ben Stokes would take the red-ball team to the position of world-beaters just like Eoin Morgan did in the white-ball formats.
That belief was solidified further by the end of 2022 with England winning nine out of their 10 Test matches under the Stokes-McCullum combo. However, the charismatic duo could not sustain that dominance as oppositions and conditions changed. They were not even in the race to qualify for the WTC Final in the last cycle - which seems like a far cry from Bazball's promise of revolutionizing Test cricket.
So, was the promise of bringing Test cricket in England back on track just an illusion? Or we are just jumping into conclusion. Let's dive bit deeper into Bazball antics to understand the situation.
A Revolution In Danger? Feat. One-Dimensional Nature
The main talking point associated with Bazball is the rate at which their batters score runs. They have tried to do that irrespective of conditions, and that is where comes the big issue. To score runs quickly and with consistent success, a team needs a good batting surface. Thus, since the time the Bazball era started, the conditions in England have been in favour of the batting team, and Ben Stokes has adopted a strategy of chasing more often than not.
They have found decent success as well, but this ultra-aggressive style of batting has made them heavily dependent on good batting decks. Therefore, wherever the pitches have not been conducive for strokeplay, England struggled to win games consistently, losing both in India and Pakistan in 2024.
Also, the one-dimensional nature of their batting group has made them heavily dependent on Joe Root in conditions that are a bit tricky. He has scored the most runs for them since the start of the Bazball era, but whenever he has failed, other batters have struggled to handle tough situations.
Second-Class Citizenship For Bowlers?
What about England's bowling? Isn't English conditions known to be favourable for pacers? If you have watched cricket before 2022, your answer will likely be an overwhelming yes.
But, as said before, the focus has been on batting aggressively and creating pitches that are conducive to it. As a result, the traditional English pacers who relied on their swing bowling have gone missing. The retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson have not helped their cause, but due to the flat conditions on offer, England's bowling arsenal has tilted more towards bowlers who can provide raw pace and bounce rather than swing and seam movement.
As England batters take less time to score runs, their bowlers are getting less rest during the Test match, which has directly or indirectly played a role in increasing the workload of their key bowlers.
They have a settled batting unit, but the bowling group seems to be getting a treatment of a second-class citizen. There is Jasprit Bumrah as the leader of the pack for India, Australia have three world-class pacers, South Africa have Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. However, if you talk about England, there is hardly a name that will be on everyone's list in Test cricket.
Finding Balance, A True Essence Of Life And Cricket
All these points towards one thing about Bazball - IMBALANCE! The zeal for aggressive batting and an entertaining brand of cricket has, unfortunately, resulted in a neglect of some basic features that a team needs to consistently produce positive results in Test cricket.
England would have to find a way to be more adaptable as a batting group in tough conditions. It will help them lessen their reliance on Joe Root and will increase their chances of doing well in different parts of the world.
Also, the Edgbaston Test against India should act as a rude wake-up call. The extremely flat decks in home games could end up nullifying the advantage of English conditions like it did at Edgbaston, and it could work in favour of those teams that have traditionally struggled with their batting in England due to swing and seam movement.
More balanced tracks would also help their bowlers to get more involved in the game. As a result, the Bazball machinery could become more well-rounded, instead of its now apparent one-dimensional nature.
Test cricket is often compared with the highs and lows of life. So, when we talk about life, balance is often considered as a key factor, and it is a virtue that Bazballers would also need to incorporate into their system.
Listen To Your Leader, Revolutionaries!
Probably, all this talk of balance is a bit like an old-school lecture, and the revolutionaries of Bazball might not even like it. However, revolutionaries must follow the guidelines of their leader. So, as we already know, Ben Stokes has called Bazball, a path towards a cricketer's growth. So, it is high-time that his followers shed off their one-dimensional nature and turn into more multi-faceted entities.
 "Aashay Chopade")
