Picture Credit: ECB
With England facing back-to-back defeats in Test cricket, England Cricket Board (ECB) took some tough calls and sacked the head coach Chris Silverwood. Joe Root also stepped down as the captain of the side. With two top positions in the management vacant, ECB went for two of the most dynamics cricketer of their time.
While Ben Stokes was appointed as the captain of the side, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum took over the role of the head coach of the side. And as the results have come in the last four Tests for England, it seems the tactics has perfectly worked for ECB. The captain-coach duo of Stokes and McCullum are pinning down one team after the other.
After whitewashing New Zealand 3-0 in the three-match Test series, England beat India in the fifth rescheduled Test to draw the 5-match Test series 2-2. In all four matches, England won chasing a total in the fourth innings. While they chased 277 with sheer ease in the first match against New Zealand, England put on a show in the second Test to chase down 299 in 50 overs.
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In the third match, the Ben Stokes-led team chased 296. And now in the fifth rescheduled Test against India, England chased a record 378 to win the match. All these four totals were chased down against top-quality bowling attacks. So, what did change so much for a team in a span of a few months?
Well, as the England fans and media houses are calling it, ‘Bazball’ is the reason behind England’s turnround in Test cricket. But what is ‘bazball’? As fancy as it sounds, the term is associated with someone equally stylish and fancy. The term ‘bazball’ comes from England’s new head coach’s name, Brendon McCullum.
The former Kiwi who is nicknamed “Baz” was known for his aggressive stroke play during his playing days and now the England Test cricket team seems to be playing with the same intention where they are looking to attack the opposition irrespective of their position in the game. And as of now, it seems to be working perfectly fine for England but it is to be seen how long the team can keep ‘Bazball’ alive.
