Know more about BazBall, the philosophy that changed England's fortunes in Test cricket.

Ahead of the final Test match against New Zealand, England captain Ben Stokes iterated that England Cricket is in the ‘entertainment business rather than sporting business’ and that seems to be the crux of the BazBall as well.

Named after England’s new coach Brendon Barrie “Baz” McCallum, BazBall is a new brand of cricket that focuses more on entertaining the crowd in the longest format of the game. McCullum took charge of the England team in May 2022 and has quickly instilled an attacking mentality among English players.

Although not outright claimed, England started playing this brand of cricket from first England- New Zealand Test match itself. They polished their approach as they moved further in the series. Against the New Zealand side, England chased down a target of 277, 299 and 296 in less than 80 overs. Against India, they did even better and chased a huge target of 378 runs in just 76.4 overs.

While other teams in the 145 years of cricket history played cautiously and at a leisure pace in the Test, England have turned the approach on its head. The new English side under McCullum is always looking for a win and entertaining the crowd.

A way of looking at the game slightly differently: Joe Root

BazBall however is not just about hitting the bat at the ball, but also soaking pressure when needed. In the fifth Test match against India, Root and Bairstow were under immense pressure from the Indian team but they did not crumble and just soaked the pressure as Root explained, “They were all over us for a little bit and they were letting us know about it,’ he said. ‘It was about trying to take the sting out of it for four or five overs.”

‘Then, when the moment came to put a bit of pressure back on, it was recognising it, taking it and being ruthless with it. It came up beautifully for us.’ As Root concluded, BazBall is “a way of looking at the game slightly differently.”

Under this approach, England players are allowed a more relaxing environment prior to the match with players dipping in and out of the net sessions as they please. This apparent freedom outside of the pitch has allowed the English batters to bat with the same freedom on the pitch.

The BazBall juggernaut continues to sink teams in England’s wake with a new brand of Cricket and has certainly brought many new fans under the cricket umbrella.