“Bazzball” is a term that has taken over world cricket in the past few months. The term basically refers to an attacking style of play that was implemented by Brendon McCullum (popularly known as “Bazz”). The England cricket team initially implemented this in the ODI and T20 formats, and after its success, they shifted this ideology to test cricket as well. With this concept, they have earned results in their favor as well. But how long will this style last? Does it have longevity? Here is a look:
What Do You Mean By Bazzball?
The term “Bazzball” has been coined to refer to an “all-out-attack” style of play. The batters walk out with the intent to score runs on every ball and in white-ball formats, intend to hit every ball out of the park. This always keeps the bowling opposition under the pump and on the back foot. The term has been named after “Brendon McCullum” who is popularly known as “Bazz McCullum”. This is because Bazz was the first one to effectively implement this attacking style of play in the ODI World Cup 2015.
England Cricket Team Recent Success With Bazzball Strategy:
The England Cricket team took a beatdown in the 2015 ODI World Cup and since then they have changed all of their strategies. Bazzball was one such strategy. Fresher players were bought in. Impactful players were given preference over the more conventional consistent players. Names like Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, and Ben Stokes, had taken over. The only way to bring England cricket back in business was to play “slam-bang”, no-nonsense cricket. With Bazzball, they achieved success under the leadership of Eoin Morgan by winning the 2019 ODI World Cup at their home. Thereafter, they also won the 2022 T20 World Cup.
This strategy has now shifted to red-ball cricket. The key players, in this case, are Ben Stokes, their leader, Harry Brook, a dynamic young lad who has been scoring a mountain of runs, Ben Duckett, a fresher face in the scenario, and Joe Root, the mold that holds all these players together. They have managed to win a test series in Pakistan by 3-0. They whitewashed the men in green in their backyard. One of those games saw the English team score at a rate of 6.5 runs an over. A rate that teams struggle to manage in ODI cricket!
Impact on Test Cricket in General:
The positive impact of this strategy is that the test matches will start generating results. Test matches will also become entertaining. The 2nd Test against New Zealand that the Kiwis won by 1 run is one for the ages. This style of play makes the game better and holds the fan for longer hours. This will in turn generate revenue for the sport and that is something that the mark currently requires.
But the longevity of this strategy is a big question. The English have managed to pull off this strategy in Pakistan, which generally is known to offer “patta” pitches. But will this work in India, where the ball turns square? Or in Australia and South Africa where pitches have the extra bounce and zip! Only time will tell.
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