Back in 1996, Surrey’s Alistair Brown was picked to open for England in their one-day series against India. He began with a hit-and-miss 37 off 52 balls at The Oval and was branded a ‘clown’ by one national newspaper. ‘Unicycle’ and ‘red nose’ got a mention too.
Brown’s crime was to play a few shots, in keeping with the recent World Cup in South Asia, where Sanath Jayasuriya had pinch-hit Sri Lanka all the way to the trophy.
But English cricket was not ready for such frivolity, even though Brown made a century against India three days later at Old Trafford, where he was named player of the match. It was his last ODI for 18 months. He got a few games after that, but faded away — a singular talent sacrificed on the altar of caution.
His fate came to mind this week following England’s two-wicket defeat in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Because, as Brown discovered, lurking close to the surface of our game — even now — is a conservatism that pounces when adventure goes wrong, an after-the-event wisdom that disregards the strides England have made under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. It yearns for the days of safety first. Take risks, if you must — just do not get out. Entertain, by all means — but make sure you win.
Brendon McCullum (left) and Ben Stokes (right) have helped England make huge strides over the last 12 months in Test cricket
The pair have been criticised for their Bazball approach after Australia won the first Ashes Test
These people have been spooked by the new regime all along, regardless of an oft-repeated stat: pre-Bazball, England won one Test out of 17; post-Bazball, they have won 11 out of 14, usually in magnificent fashion. They ignore this and instead ascribe the Edgbaston result to red herrings, such as Stokes’s first-evening declaration, or Joe Root’s stumping.
The fact is, at 227 for eight chasing 281, Australia had all but lost. England needed only to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, which would have no doubt vindicated everything that went before.
That Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon got their side over the line said everything about the guts and nous of Australia’s world champions and a lifeless pitch. There was no shame in defeat.
But to question the entire Bazball edifice on the basis of a game in which, until a late sprint by the Aussies for the line, England made the running, is to fall into an old English trap. Better not to have loved and lost, then ever to have loved at all.
England lost the first Test not because Stokes was playing fast and loose with convention, but because they bungled chances in the field.
Their errors in the first innings boosted Australia by 107 runs, while Usman Khawaja was missed in the first over of the second innings and batted until the 72nd. Defeat had nothing to do with Bazball. Equally, without scoring at five an over in the first innings and four in the second, England would not have played themselves into a winning position.
England’s fielding was the main reason for their defeat at Edgbaston, with Jonny Bairstow enduring a difficult game behind the stumps
And Stokes has been quite clear that he is willing to risk defeat in order to win, a strategy that has mainly worked wonders. You cannot have the thrilling wins without the odd gamble.
Take the victory at Rawalpindi in December, when he could have settled for a draw, but instead set Pakistan 343 in four sessions. When Jack Leach took the last wicket as the sun set, Stokes was hailed for his lateral thinking.
One England Test player — who is not in the Ashes squad and wished to go unnamed — despaired at the doom- mongering after Edgbaston. ‘We’re still persevering with this English mentality, which we see in the reaction of the public and people around English cricket,’ he said.
‘They’re saying why did you declare, why did you do this? Take the draw and move on. That’s fundamentally why we’ve been so bad — one Test win out of 17, the whole ethos of [Chris] Silverwood’s reign was grind it out, old-school Test cricket.
‘It is the antithesis of Bazball. It’s been deep-rooted in English cricket that we’ve been so transfixed by the textbook and this is how things should be done. That’s rubbish.’
England’s determination not to take a backward step is reminiscent of Eoin Morgan’s philosophy during the early days of his white-ball captaincy.
Eoin Morgan refused to budge on how he wanted England’s white-ball tam to play under his captaincy, and it led to World Cup glory in 2019
Ben Stokes should not be considering changing his approach either after one narrow defeat
Rain could affect the second Test, with downpours predicted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Back then, in the summer of 2015, critics warned it was a cardinal sin in one-day cricket not to bat out your overs. Morgan knew this was outdated thinking and refused to allow it to dilute his message. Alistair Brown would have slotted in perfectly.
The same goes for this Test team, which is why England have gone to unusual lengths to justify their approach. Writing on the Wisden website, seamer Ollie Robinson said McCullum told the team after the Edgbaston defeat: ‘It feels like we’ve won, lads.’
Root, too, has promised more of the same at Lord’s, while the selection of teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who took a five-for on Test debut in Karachi over the winter, is another tick in the box for aggressive cricket. The safer option would have been Hampshire’s slow left-armer Liam Dawson, but England have little time for safety.
And that, for some, is unsettling. They want the best of both worlds. Attack until you reach 393 for eight on the first evening, then play sensibly. Reverse-scoop Scott Boland for six, but do not attack Lyon. Bat yourself into a winning position, but guarantee the draw. If only that is how Bazball worked. It does not — and thank goodness for that.
DailyMail
