Under former New Zealand batsman and coach Brendon McCullum, England had gone undefeated until losing the series (3-1) against India at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on February 26.
The fifth test, which will take place at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala from March 7–11, is still up for the English squad led by Ben Stokes, but they should realize that their chances of taking the series to the championship are long gone.
It’s true, as this series has shown, that England has lost, but rather that a “Bazball Era” has been lost.
What precisely is “Bazball,” one might wonder? This term refers to the way the English cricket team plays during Test matches.
The finest illustration of how the Baz ball has faltered in this series is former world No. 1 test batter Joe Root.
It’s also important for McCullum to understand that not everyone is as quick as a player, as demonstrated by Root’s century in the first series inning, which he only achieved after he got back to playing his natural style.
Even former English cricket players, such as Michael Artherton, Nasser Hussain, and Geoffrey Boycott, have criticized the bazball strategy that England adopted to lose the Ashes Series against Australia and India. All three have called for a return to the natural game that they played.
Ben Stokes’ misunderstanding of the Indian wickets and his dilemma in selecting James Anderson, Mark Wood, and Ollie Robinson (England’s Fast Bowlers) could also be held accountable for the team as they were handed 434 runs loss after giving away 400 plus runs to India in both innings of the third test.
For many of the ‘Three-Lion’ fans, the second inning will be a massive dent to their pride, managing only 122 runs with fast-bowler Mark Wood scoring the highest 33 off 15.
Only five of the eleven players for England reached double figures during these innings. At one point, the English side was down to 50/7, but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and batsman Mark Wood saved them before they gave up to the spinning trio of R Jadeja (5-41), Kuldeep Yadav (2-19), and R Ashwin (1-19).
Ben Stokes and co.’s pre-test strategy remained the same for the recently concluded fourth test. The England captain erred when he decided to bat, which cost them another defeat even though they managed to score 353 and pass the 300+ barrier for the first time.
They only manage to give India a target of 192 runs, which the Indian batting squad chased down despite having a 46-run lead.
For Bazaball, this series felt like a sharp slap in the face. Remember that England was among the best test teams, having produced players such as Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, and Andrew Strauss.
In addition to reflecting on their series defeat, England needs to get their ideas together to figure out how they finished eighth in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 points standings with only three victories from nine games.
With a Points Percentage System (PCT) of 75, New Zealand is presently leading the WTC 2023–25 points table. India is next with 64.58, and Australia is with 55.
The WTC 2023-25 finals will take place in June 2025 at Lord’s, London where the top two teams of WTC will play each other.
Following their final test match against India, England will host the West Indies starting on July 10 for a three-test series.
