The England cricket team has undergone a remarkable transformation in Test cricket, largely due to the innovative and aggressive approach known as “Bazball.” This term, derived from the nickname of England’s head coach, Brendon “Baz” McCullum, encapsulates a philosophy that has redefined how the team plays the longest format of the game. The team has adopted a policy of going at it hard and scoring runs at a fast pace, which has brought them quite a lot of positive results.
Credit: The Independent
England faced Pakistan in a test match on 7th October 2024. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. England spent a lot of time and effort trying to get Pakistan out but only managed to do so after Pakistan had managed to make 556 runs in 149 overs. However, England showed they were not ready to back down when their time to bat came. They started off poorly and lost the wicket of Ollie Pope very early, but this did not dishearten them.
Zak Crawley made a good contribution, making 78 runs in 85 balls at a strike rate of 91.76, but then he also lost his wicket, which promoted Ben Duckett to come out. Like Zak Crawley, Duckett played impressive innings but departed after making 84 runs in 75 balls at a strike rate of 112. This started the brilliant partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook. Both players played exceptionally, scoring double and triple centuries, respectively.
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Joe Root made 262 runs in 375 balls at a strike rate of 69.86. His innings included 17 fours. Harry Brook did even better, making 317 runs in 322 balls at a strike rate of 98.45. His innings included three sixes and a massive 29 fours. Their brilliant partnership, alongside contributions from the others, helped England reach a massive score of 823 and take a lead of 267 runs, giving them a fighting chance to try and get a result from the game.
Career-best efforts from Joe Root and Harry Brook in a record stand put England in command in Multan 👏#WTC25 | #ENGvPAK 📝: https://t.co/E7pVMrxfk2 pic.twitter.com/ZgZKGPk8yD
— ICC (@ICC) October 10, 2024
Crossing the 800-run mark meant that this England team became the fourth team ever to score more than 800 runs in a game. They became the first team to achieve this milestone since Sri Lanka hit 952 runs against India on 2nd August 1997, 27 years ago. This makes them the only team to have crossed the 800-run mark in the 2000s, which is a huge feat. Another thing worth noting is that of the four teams who have hit 800 runs or more, three have been England.
While England has always had great test cricket teams and has had the potential to make huge totals, the difference between the other innings compared to this one is how fast England reached 800 runs. They made 823 runs in just 150 overs before deciding to declare. The other two times had been much slower when compared to the current ‘Bazball’ approach. The other two times England made more than 800 runs was when they made 849 against West Indies in April 1930 and 903 against Australia in August 1938.
England cricket team’s adoption of Bazball under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes has revolutionized their approach to Test cricket. By prioritizing aggressive batting, fearlessness, and a positive mindset, England has become a formidable force in the longest format of the game. Even in a game that looked completely set to be a draw, England scored an extremely high total very quickly and established a good lead, which gave them a chance to try and get a result against Pakistan. This is just one example of how this new ideology is beneficial for the team, and it will be very interesting to see if other teams from around the world start using this.
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Guransh Machra is a sportswriter at Gutshot Magazine. He covers football news from local leagues like the Indian Super League as well as international leagues like the Premier League. He follows various sports like Football, Cricket, Formula 1, and Tennis. Apart from sports, Guransh is also enthusiastic about reading and gaming.
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