Cricket news: The success of England's "Bazball" could compel other teams to imitate it
When Brendon McCullum took over the England men's Test team's reins, there needed to be clarity as to why the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chose to appoint the former New Zealand skipper
Before this job, his crowning glory as a coach was a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) win with the Trinbago Knight Riders, as well as a stint coaching the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Would someone whose significant work experience came in the arena of T20 domestic leagues be a success in international Tests?
Fast forward a few months, however, and Bazball is not only successful but looks here to stay – and has had a transformative effect on England's Test fortunes.
So the real question to ponder is whether or not this will force other teams to adapt to survive and be able to beat England.
The short answer is yes. However, the major question will be if the teams can replicate this approach as quickly as England.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Plot twist: Brendon McCullum calls Bazball a 'silly term' 😂</p>— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1545611449648574464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Teams have played expansive cricket despite adversity and doubt throughout the history of Test cricket.
The great West Indies teams of the 1970s and 1980s were arguably the first to do so, and they became a force to be reckoned with thanks in no small part to their aggressive approach.
Another more recent example would be the Australian cricket team of the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s, whose batting was so deep that Adam Gilchrist would be playing at number six – and excelling in that role too.
But even then, teams would generally need help to match the way these teams played and would more often than not revert to type.
However, the one big difference between the modern and older generations is the advent of T20 cricket.
Players in today's day and age are naturally more inclined towards playing big shots. Back in the day, a batsman's best defence was either forward or backwards, depending on the length of the ball.
Nowadays, batters believe the best form of defence is an attack – hence why so many T20-style shots like reverse and paddle sweeps are infiltrating the modern red ball games.
So, in the modern era, one defined by big hitting and aggressive play from the outgo, teams would have more success in emulating the way England play the game.
But there's still a feeling that many teams would keep a fallback plan in terms of being able to revert to a defensive style of play.
That being said, what cannot be denied is that England are redefining the way cricket should be played – not just in Tests, but ODIs, and T20Is too.
Thus, it will be okay if teams go on to try and copy them soon
संपादक की पसंद
- 01
Indian Premier League: आईपीएल नीलामी में दसुन शनाका को नही मिला कोई खरीददार
- 02
SA20 League: दो दिन बाद शुरू होगी SA20 लीग, जानिए स्क्वॉड और स्टॉफ
- 03
India vs Sri Lanka: सूर्यकुमार यादव और अक्षर पटेल ने विराट कोहली-रवींद्र जडेजा के करियर पर लगाया सवालिया निशान?
- 04
FA Cup: ग्राहम पॉटर और उनकी चेल्सी टीम को करिश्में की जरूरत है
- 05
Cricket News: आवेदन की अंतिम तिथि 26 जनवरी है; महिला IPL के लिए पहली नीलामी फरवरी में होगी