Bazball 2024

[Art Vandelay_]

RIP to this crap fad.

 

[Run n Spread]

But they weren’t ‘saving’ it from this.

Their MO was to save their own cricket from itself: it was drowning in how bad and tepid it had become. Getting beaten by the West Indies was the last straw.
I think as I’ve said many times that some of the grandiose statements about saving it or whatever are yes, a bit over the top and certainly annoying.

But the players you mentioned had all enjoyed in their careers some level of success in the team (even Atherton saw a LITTLE bit).
The team that ‘current England’ followed on from were sinking without trace and they were doing it without a whimper, and taking down their best batsman in maybe 50 years with them, and two of their greatest bowlers and maybe their second best ever all-rounder.

unless they go on a streak of 13-14 wins or win everywhere home and away I don’t think anyone is going to go ‘that was a team that we all were privileged to see’ or anything stupid like that. But we keep hearing ‘oh teams were doing this a long time ago. They weren’t. Unless there was a team more aggressive than Waugh and Ponting’s Australians, no team has scored at a run rate within 1 run per over of what England has done. So if NOTHING else at all it IS unique. Success or failure, it is something no one else has tried over an extended period. So I think they’re right in saying people will remember what they’ve done. Whether it’s remembered in positive or negative terms… well that remains to be seen

Exactly and Australia have basically copied it this series.
Head opening and went 4.5 an over 1st innings.
Don't get the hate.
Has been better than watching the ridiculous block a thon of the last few years. Especially with Labaschagne (finally batting properly) and Kahwaja (gone finally) the chief offenders.
Bazball has saved Test cricket. Hasn't worked here but how many teams win in Australia? Especially English. Few and far between. At least they've had a crack

 

[Spirit Level]

Surely that puts it to rest eh? Passing fad and hopefully dies in the arse soon

 

[Spirit Level]

Exactly and Australia have basically copied it this series.
Head opening and went 4.5 an over 1st innings.
Don't get the hate.
Has been better than watching the ridiculous block a thon of the last few years. Especially with Labaschagne (finally batting properly) and Kahwaja (gone finally) the chief offenders.
Bazball has saved Test cricket. Hasn't worked here but how many teams win in Australia? Especially English. Few and far between. At least they've had a crack

Bazball has the potential to ruin test cricket for good and your statement is ****en idiotic

 

[Run n Spread]

Bazball has the potential to ruin test cricket for good and your statement is ****en idiotic

Why? This has been a great series to watch.
High octane test cricket with momentum shifts and twists galore.
No let's have kahwaja and Labaschagne block it for 1.5 runs an over for 4 hours because that's riveting stuff instead

 

[Spirit Level]

Why? This has been a great series to watch.
High octane test cricket with momentum shifts and twists galore.
No let's have kahwaja and Labaschagne block it for 1.5 runs an over for 4 hours because that's riveting stuff instead

Do you really think a 2-day test is a good thing?

Its supposed to be a war of attrition with ebs and flows and small battles to be won, not just trying to smack it and throwing your wicket away when it all gets too hard.

If you want all out attack i think t20 is more your style

 

[Run n Spread]

Do you really think a 2-day test is a good thing?

Its supposed to be a war of attrition with ebs and flows and small battles to be won, not just trying to smack it and throwing your wicket away when it all gets too hard.

If you want all out attack i think t20 is more your style

Yes. Happened before in Brisbane in 22 and the sky didn't fall in.
And lo and behold this one went 4 days.
Sometimes it happens. Who knows Adelaide might go 5 days.
Do you think batsmen mindlessly blocking it for 2 runs an over for a day is riveting test cricket?
Perhaps lawn bowls might be your go.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

Exactly and Australia have basically copied it this series.

Nah, they've been just punishing mediocre bowling that doesn't provide any pressure.

The Australians also reflect on things that they do wrong and look to change it up. That would be anti-bazball.

 

[The_Reaper]

South Africa and India have a lot of success here without playing bazball

 

[PhatBoy]

South Africa and India have a lot of success here without playing bazball

They’ve had the players to execute it.

For two of their wins here SA had a side that was in the middle of a run that made them probably the third greatest test team in history.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Exactly and Australia have basically copied it this series.
Head opening and went 4.5 an over 1st innings.
Don't get the hate.
Has been better than watching the ridiculous block a thon of the last few years. Especially with Labaschagne (finally batting properly) and Kahwaja (gone finally) the chief offenders.
Bazball has saved Test cricket. Hasn't worked here but how many teams win in Australia? Especially English. Few and far between. At least they've had a crack

Again with this mentality of "it's either Bazball or boring block-a-thons".

There's a happy medium, you can go at 3-4 an over without being stupid about it.

 

[Pistol Night]

Again with this mentality of "it's either Bazball or boring block-a-thons".

There's a happy medium, you can go at 3-4 an over without being stupid about it.

Of course. There are times to accelerate and times to close up shop. We executed it beautifully in this test. We’re basically giving them an on filed training course on how to play their stupid game correctly. The campaigners aren’t very good students though

 

[Spirit Level]

Yes. Happened before in Brisbane in 22 and the sky didn't fall in.
And lo and behold this one went 4 days.
Sometimes it happens. Who knows Adelaide might go 5 days.
Do you think batsmen mindlessly blocking it for 2 runs an over for a day is riveting test cricket?
Perhaps lawn bowls might be your go.

It's not about preferring block-a-thons dumbarse it's about not wanting test cricket to become a t20.

i find batsmen valuing their wicket and bowlers having to work to get them out way more riveting than whatever England are doing at the moment.

This progress the game at all costs mantra is just dumb (remember when they declared for no reason on day 1 in 2023 and allowed Australia to win the game? Prime example of the peak stupidity of bazball)

 

[PhatBoy]

It's not about preferring block-a-thons dumbarse it's about not wanting test cricket to become a t20.

i find batsmen valuing their wicket and bowlers having to work to get them out way more riveting than whatever England are doing at the moment.

This progress the game at all costs mantra is just dumb (remember when they declared for no reason on day 1 in 2023 and allowed Australia to win the game? Prime example of the peak stupidity of bazball)

I remember Australia declaring behind the West Indies two years ago and losing the test by 6 runs as well.
When certain teams attack it’s called positive or proactive cricket and people merely learn to take the good with the bad rather than act like it’s the death knell of western civilisation. When others do it’s given some stupid term conjured by the press.

 

[Run n Spread]

It's not about preferring block-a-thons dumbarse it's about not wanting test cricket to become a t20.

i find batsmen valuing their wicket and bowlers having to work to get them out way more riveting than whatever England are doing at the moment.

This progress the game at all costs mantra is just dumb (remember when they declared for no reason on day 1 in 2023 and allowed Australia to win the game? Prime example of the peak stupidity of bazball)

It's hardly 20 20 cricket dickhead.
You'd think they were trying to hit every ball for 6 and playing 3 ramps an over.
From losing 12 out of 13 tests and being totally spanked last time here they needed a new approach.
Its proactive cricket and executing skills
They have been in both games and ahead at times but haven't been able to sustain it long enough
Hard to win in Australia 1 English side has done it in 40 years

 

[Run n Spread]

I remember Australia declaring behind the West Indies two years ago and losing the test by 6 runs as well.
When certain teams attack it’s called positive or proactive cricket and people merely learn to take the good with the bad rather than act like it’s the death knell of western civilisation. When others do it’s given some stupid term conjured by the press.

2 nil up. Australia actually scored same speed as England yet people have their knickers in a twist still that they're somehow ruining test cricket. It's bizarre. If anything it's added a new dynamic and strategy to the game

 

[Gough]

It's not about preferring block-a-thons dumbarse it's about not wanting test cricket to become a t20.

i find batsmen valuing their wicket and bowlers having to work to get them out way more riveting than whatever England are doing at the moment.

This progress the game at all costs mantra is just dumb (remember when they declared for no reason on day 1 in 2023 and allowed Australia to win the game? Prime example of the peak stupidity of bazball)

It's hardly 20 20 cricket dickhead.
You'd think they were trying to hit every ball for 6 and playing 3 ramps an over.
From losing 12 out of 13 tests and being totally spanked last time here they needed a new approach.
Its proactive cricket and executing skills
They have been in both games and ahead at times but haven't been able to sustain it long enough
Hard to win in Australia 1 English side has done it in 40 years

Keep it civil please lads.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Yes. Happened before in Brisbane in 22 and the sky didn't fall in.
And lo and behold this one went 4 days.
Sometimes it happens. Who knows Adelaide might go 5 days.
Do you think batsmen mindlessly blocking it for 2 runs an over for a day is riveting test cricket?
Perhaps lawn bowls might be your go.

Since when has Australian test team scored at 2 runs an over?
Australia has long been scoring at a high rate just without the BS about saving the game

 

[evolved2]

Bazball has the potential to ruin test cricket for good and your statement is ****en idiotic

How would Bazball ruin test cricket for good? Surely if it worked, it would be adopted by all teams leading to an improvement in the way test cricket is played. It doesn't seem to work well against better bowling sides unless the pitch is flat.

A 5-0 or similar drubbing for England here (if it happens) would likely lead to McCullum being sacked and the end of Bazball.

 

[Spirit Level]

How would Bazball ruin test cricket for good? Surely if it worked, it would be adopted by all teams leading to an improvement in the way test cricket is played. It doesn't seem to work well against better bowling sides unless the pitch is flat.

A 5-0 or similar drubbing for England here (if it happens) would likely lead to McCullum being sacked and the end of Bazball.

Bazball to me seems like a reaction to the mass appeal of t20 cricket an appealing to a new age of cricketers without attention spans or any sort of grit.

If it catches on and we start seeing 2 day tests regularly it will be bad for the format IMO.

Don't get me wrong I like t20s, just like I like ODIs and I like attacking cricket.

But attacking just for the sake of it to me is not what a test cricket is about.

 

[PhatBoy]

Bazball to me seems like a reaction to the mass appeal of t20 cricket an appealing to a new age of cricketers without attention spans or any sort of grit.

If it catches on and we start seeing 2 day tests regularly it will be bad for the format IMO.

Don't get me wrong I like t20s, just like I like ODIs and I like attacking cricket.

But attacking just for the sake of it to me is not what a test cricket is about.

It was a reaction to NZ repeatedly setting them big targets in a series in the UK and England running them down at breakneck speed, actually, and determining that it was actually their best chance to succeed. They carried it on to Pakistan and it worked there, too.
It’s worked in NZ as well to some extent, and worked again in a test in Pakistan. I don’t think it has any relationship with T20 cricket to be honest.

 

[evolved2]

Bazball to me seems like a reaction to the mass appeal of t20 cricket an appealing to a new age of cricketers without attention spans or any sort of grit.

If it catches on and we start seeing 2 day tests regularly it will be bad for the format IMO.

Don't get me wrong I like t20s, just like I like ODIs and I like attacking cricket.

But attacking just for the sake of it to me is not what a test cricket is about.

Englands test results markedly improved after they adopted Bazball. It has its flaws, but it is an improvement on whatever they were doing beforehand as judged by results.

No other team has adopted that approach and I doubt we'll see tests played like T20's because of it.

Even at the Gabba, we saw England adapt when Stokes and Jacks used a more cautious approach to hold up Australia on the fourth day which I thought was intelligent cricket.

 

[PhatBoy]

Englands test results markedly improved after they adopted Bazball. It has its flaws, but it is an improvement on whatever they were doing beforehand as judged by results.

No other team has adopted that approach and I doubt we'll see tests played like T20's because of it.

Even at the Gabba, we saw England adapt when Stokes and Jacks used a more cautious approach to hold up Australia on the fourth day which I thought was intelligent cricket.

Basically it boils down to this:

• Duckett plays his cricket very fast but generally isn’t just absolutely stupid. He bats not unlike David Warner, he’s just a naturally fast scorer at the crease and his technique while not especially orthodox, is reasonably reliable.
• Crawley doesn’t score as quick but scores fast, but is also less reliable.
• Brook scores at breakneck speed and seemingly always plays that way.
• Root, Stokes and Pope will play fast if they can, but will play slow if they need to
• smith since he has come in has always played fast but he’s been exposed a bit here

The player that is of course not there who was the fulcrum of Bazzball when it started is Bairstow.

He was uninhibited and just went to town a few times in those big chases against NZ and his fast-and-loose approach was what it was all about.

 

[western royboy]

Yes. Happened before in Brisbane in 22 and the sky didn't fall in.
And lo and behold this one went 4 days.
Sometimes it happens. Who knows Adelaide might go 5 days.
Do you think batsmen mindlessly blocking it for 2 runs an over for a day is riveting test cricket?
Perhaps lawn bowls might be your go.

I don’t know if any batsman, anywhere that goes out there mindlessly blocking.

I’ve seen and done plenty of it in order to survive an early onslaught or prevent defeat, but in a game where the object is to score runs and win surely you’re able to understand the subtleties of the need for defence and attack at various times in the game. If not T20 or T10 ae your options.

 

[Spirit Level]

It seems to be a way to mitigate the fact that England don't have many batsmen capable on knuckling down through tough periods (obviously a few like Stokes, Root ect can).

I might have less strong feelings towards it if the English didn't carry on like they've invented aggressive cricket.

The 2023 series really rubbed me the wrong way, the way they carried on after they lost the first test saying the "played all the cricket in the game". The cult that has been created around bazball is embarrassing