Bazball final verdict

[halba]

Win or lose, my final verdict is that bazball doesn't work in swinging or spinning conditions. It only works on flat decks. Roads of which not every test is a road.

It won't work against guys like Ashwin and Jadeja on turning wickets in India. Especially as they are struggling against Lyon and Murphy in this series.

Overall long term it'll probably work against weak teams and/or on flat wickets. It won't work against a strong bowling attack when the ball is moving.

 

[loterry1994]

It’s worked with England which is good enough for them . Before it half their batsmen had issues playing traditionally and were losing tests to everyone

 

[halba]

It’s worked with England which is good enough for them . Before it half their batsmen had issues playing traditionally and were losing tests to everyone

I see it being deployed in the long term however , but the results are starting to fade. NZ drawn series and Aus now likely either drawn or lose, the results against stronger teams is an overall dip

 

[Ali TT]

If it's not *****Official*****, it don't count

 

[Prince EWS]

I definitely hate certain aspects of Bazball but England's batting was far worse with largely the same personnel before it. It works for them in getting batsmen out of their own heads a bit.

I think it'd work better with some tweaks (no more dumb declarations, don't make every batsman adhere to it if it doesn't suit them, don't deliberately pick your team based on ****ing strike rate) but it'd be silly for even me to say it was a total mistake.

 

[Ali TT]

I definitely hate certain aspects of Bazball but England's batting was far worse with largely the same personnel before it. It works for them in getting batsmen out of their own heads a bit.

I think it'd work better with some tweaks (no more dumb declarations, don't make every batsman adhere to it if it doesn't suit them, don't deliberately pick your team based on ****ing strike rate) but it'd be silly for even me to say it was a total mistake.

Might change over the next few days but we haven't yet lost a series under BMac. Bazball has definitely made English test cricket interesting, even when we're losing.

However, I'd probably wait a few years before issuing a "final verdict", to see if this approach becomes a more permanent feature of English or even wider test cricket or just a passing fad.

 

[Howe_zat]

The OP's suggestion is clearly just defining swinging or seaming conditions as any conditions where the batsmen have got out cheaply which is completely-self fulfilling and pointless.

 

[honestbharani]

I definitely hate certain aspects of Bazball but England's batting was far worse with largely the same personnel before it. It works for them in getting batsmen out of their own heads a bit.

I think it'd work better with some tweaks (no more dumb declarations, don't make every batsman adhere to it if it doesn't suit them, don't deliberately pick your team based on ****ing strike rate) but it'd be silly for even me to say it was a total mistake.

To me, the essence of it is this - If you think you hit the ball for runs, just do it. Don't ****ing block it just because its test cricket. Other than that, it should be left to the batsmen's discretion as each one's definition of what is hittable will vary.

 

[ataraxia]

Bazball? Take this to the Lame Joke Corner.

 

[danzydab]

my bazball verdict remains the same.
it works, but just needs some sensibility. also, you need a very good bowling attack that does not fatigue. cuz bazball forces the bowlers to bowl way more than usual

 

[Uppercut]

I’m interested to see how other countries try to lift its most effective elements. I suspect that actively trying to punish bowlers for being predictable will change the game. Everyone should play Boland the way they did from now on, and that might extend to similar bowlers. Be as unorthodox as you need to to get them off their spot.

 

[Ali TT]

I’m interested to see how other countries try to lift its most effective elements. I suspect that actively trying to punish bowlers for being predictable will change the game. Everyone should play Boland the way they did from now on, and that might extend to similar bowlers. Be as unorthodox as you need to to get them off their spot.

I think this is where it's important to separate what England are doing under McCullum (and the stupid name it's been given) and the wider use of these tactics in the future, how they will evolve etc. Will others adopt it and will there be a balance between attacking and accumulating scorers like what dominated in ODIs in the 90s and 00s? How will bowlers adapt?

This England team isn't necessarily that great, weaker than those under Fletcher, Flower and even Bayliss. A stronger team with fewer holes could surely take Bazball to greater heights?

 

[ripper868]

Fair bit of wind and dark cloud blowing over now, but still large gaps of blue sky between those dark clouds. Something for everyone.

 

[Niall]

Yeah its not perfect and heck the hyperbole about it is annoying, but we forget how rubbish this side was before this new style of cricket.

Dunno if you can say it wont work in spinning conditions as the Pakistan series was played on roads, lets see how it does in India.

I’m interested to see how other countries try to lift its most effective elements. I suspect that actively trying to punish bowlers for being predictable will change the game. Everyone should play Boland the way they did from now on, and that might extend to similar bowlers. Be as unorthodox as you need to to get them off their spot.

Thinking about all the test cricket I have watched over the years and one of the things that always annoyed me, was how a bowler barely part time would come on bowl unthreatening rubbish and the batsmen would be content to merely milk him for singles giving the proper bowlers more rest time and not really doing much scoreboard damage. Those days might be a thing of the past hopefully.

 

[Nas207]

Grafting is probably superior but modern batsmen don't have the mental game for it. Also England are ****ing box office now.

 

[Boags]

Bazball (and **** that term and crapinfo for inventing it) was a necessity because England's batting isn't very good. Nothing to do with 'saving test cricket' and all the nonsense they talk about, it just sounds good for the media and it upsets the Australians. We have two class players with good techniques and concentration for test cricket (Stokes and Root), the rest just fall in a heap and if they bat carefully and cautiously they just get out to their own deficiencies and we'd collapse every test match.

Criticize it all you want, it's pretty easy to do so and there's been some awful displays in the first two test matches, but look at England's record in the 18 months prior to Stokes, and look at it in the 18 months since - the team has barely changed and the results speak for themselves. Say it won't work here or there? Maybe wait and see? They've proven everyone who said it won't work wrong so far.

 

[GIMH]

Won’t work against Bumrah and India - demolished
Won’t work in Pakistan - whitewashed
Won’t work against Pat Cummins - hiding at first change

Next up, won’t work in India. Cheers

 

[91Jmay]

Probably should wait till the series is over to give a final verdict?

 

[Ali TT]

Probably should wait till the series is over to give a final verdict?

Or maybe when BMac quits as England coach, or Stokes retires or even when BMac's coaching career comes to an end?

 

[Midwinter]

It has produced a fascinating Ashes test series.
As mentioned the english results since McCullum and Stokes teamed up have been outstanding.

Imho, the point of "Bazball" is to put the opposition under pressure throughout the game.

I'll vote for it !