IN THE horde of white-ball cricket under way in India, one sobering experience has gone Test cricket’s way. The recently-concluded Ashes saw the traditional methods registering a thumping triumph over a modern way of batting. The 4-1 victory for Australia marked a success of classicism over England’s Bazball strategy which takes a one-way route of all-out aggression in all situations.

 

The monotonous format put paid to English dreams in the Ashes as they collapsed spectacularly in four Tests to hand over the urn to their arch-rivals. In the only Test victory, the attacking style served them well but it was more of a fight against the bowler-friendly pitch. If the Bazball has witnessed its last act in the Ashes is still an early guess but there are signs enough from the English Cricket Board that the future course might take the traditional approach towards Test cricket. Designed and endorsed by head coach Brendon McCullum, the Bazball strategy did serve England well on many occasions. It was a thrilling approach, totally in contrast to the longest format’s mindset. Going full-throttle with the bat right from the first ball without caring for the situation or circumstances was the only mantra for England batters as they took their opponents by surprise.

 

With a maverick like Ben Stokes leading the charge, England came out as a brutal force pummelling opposition with ruthless force. The onslaught looked astonishing and handed England a new weapon – fear factor. As batsmen bred on classic form also adapted the aggressive approach, even a classic-looking Joe Root looked menacing with the bat. He was swift in reverse-sweeps and stunning with the copy-book cover-drive. It was England all the way despite the strategy backfiring on a few occasions. The early success of Bazball was due to the awe it spread among the England selectors as it got them instant results. A draw was taken out of the equation and an occasional loss was seen as a professional hazard. With total backing from the administrators, McCullum used it to steamroll teams till the wheels started coming off on pitches and conditions in the sub-continent.

 

The seductive brand of cricket was exposed on England’s tour to India two years ago. The English batsmen were all at sea against quality spinners on Indian turners. England lost the series and the first seeds of suspicion were sowed in the ECB’s mind. In Ashes, the end of the strategy looked imminent with back-to-back losses. The urn was surrendered in just 11 days of active cricket. The Ashes proved that a radical idea cannot be the only way to bulldoze Test cricket’s ethos. The longest format is witnessing increasing use of attacking cricket to force a result. But taking out the classic style of measured batting is just not possible. Classicism just cannot be dethroned. Even the Bazball has failed!