Brendon McCullum hated the term Bazball from the moment it entered the lexicon. He found it restrictive and perhaps knew how it could be used as a weapon later. At this point, 2-0 down in an away Ashes series that started with high expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.
But McCullum hasn’t helped himself either. After the demolition at the Gabba, his insistence that England were, if anything, overprepared for the day-nighter was like trying to put out a baking fire with petrol. It threatens to become his epitaph as England manager if performances do not show improvement.
Peter Moores was misquoted when he said he wanted to “look at the data” after England’s grim exit from the 2015 World Cup (“check it later” were his words, after effectively moving away from the numbers). There’s no doubt McCullum meant what he said Sunday, but he repeated it in different ways to multiple outlets as he and Ben Stokes inspected the wreckage.
On some level you almost have to admire his dedication to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to be shutting out outside noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterized as freewheeling and underprepared; unwilling to do hard yards unless those yards involve the fairways of the nearest golf course.
The reality, as always, is not that simple. England plays as much golf as their opponents during the necessary rest period and trains as much. Before the Gabba they did more: five days with Australia’s three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in viewing conditions.
They could have gone to Canberra. But the sight of Sam Konstas throwing pies at the Lions part-time while the 12th men sat under blankets in the cold showed a limit to the value of that game. People keep saying they should have booked the Waca before Perth Stadium like India 12 months earlier, but renovations, the WBBL and a Sheffield Shield match have taken care of that.
McCullum’s point about being “overprepared” was that those five days were his choice – the moment he blinked in the belief that less is more. It meant the mental energy of a Test match was spent before they even stepped out of the intensity of Australia’s stronghold. And while nets are an opportunity to smooth out technique, they can also become a security blanket; things without consequences that keep the reflexes sharp and the muscles moving.
The schedules are so tight that state matches ahead of the series were not possible (and not a guarantee, considering England played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to articulate is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable exercise more broadly, as evidenced by Jacob Bethell’s wasted summer. It’s different, there’s no doubt about that, and the selectors were right to look beyond the numbers. But volume certainly still counts for something.
Just playing makes cricketers stronger because of the many situations they face, and it is here where England have fallen far behind so far. It’s not just about the bat – as dire as the shot selection has been – but about an attack that appears leaderless. No one has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his supporting cast have delivered thus far.
McCullum’s free spirit was liberating for the first twelve months, an excellent, well-diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now lies in their apparent failure to get past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software, which has seen their results drop to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 tests.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that England’s two most flexible players, Root and Stokes, are both in their 30s and started out in Andy Flower’s tougher regime. When Stokes spoke about not having any ‘weak men’ in his dressing room, he referred to the resilience required to take on Australia. India, who won here in 2018-19 and 2020-21, had it to the fullest.
Only Stokes knows who he thinks is missing in this area, and it could well be that there are one or two who have racked up red ball miles. But over the course of the first two Tests there are clearly players who are struggling to get results – high ceilings who currently have plenty of headroom, or hands that hide as the catch flies around.
Among them is Jamie Smith, undoubtedly a talent, but one who is attacked mercilessly on both sides of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably doesn’t help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered such a virtuoso performance. Stuart Broad has regretted saying Jonny Bairstow’s disappearance at Lord’s in 2023 was the only thing he would be remembered for, but Carey has dismissed it anyway.
Judging from McCullum’s words in the aftermath, England look set to keep their faith in Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case more broadly – is that a return to a more familiar Test environment will yield its best results, with Perth’s trampoline surface and unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.
The alternative is to implement the plan we encountered in the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago, moving Ollie Pope to his more natural home as a busy mid-range player, handing him the gloves and selecting a new No.3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions this weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fill a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.
With Shoaib Bashir gone wicketless for the Lions, a spin bowling option in the top seven would allow five sears again, with the spiky wicket-taking threat of Josh Tongue yet to be tried. Relieving the bowling burden on Stokes would also make him more effective.
None of this is ideal, however, as Australia’s superior fundamentals have exceeded expectations and thrust the broader philosophy into the spotlight.
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