England head coach Brendon McCullum will bring Bazball back to his birthplace in a two-Test series against New Zealand which begins in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.
McCullum devised the eponymous strategy of all-out attack during his successful tenure as New Zealand captain when he used it to upend the Black Caps’ traditional conservative approach and underdog mindset.
The policy largely reflects his own nature as one of cricket’s most attacking batsmen and his approach to life. McCullum figured if somebody was going to play cricket, it should be fun.
“In any job you do, you want to have fun. Or else, what’s the point in doing it?” he said. “We get one crack at life. If you’ve got some skills, aspirations and dreams, why would you not live those out and smile?”
Bazball has flourished since McCullum transplanted it in England among a team of kindred spirits, willing to risk losing in order to chase a win. England were down on their luck when McCullum became coach but now have won nine of their last 10 Test matches.
McCullum now can display his refined version of Bazball to a New Zealand audience which saw it in its infancy. The move to the pink-ball format on Thursday hasn’t pleased all members of the England team: fast bowler Ollie Robinson who is coming to grips with the pink Kookaburra ball called it “gimmicky.”
Captain Ben Stokes, though, is keener on concentrating on England’s current fast bowling group which does add to his confidence.
“We’ve got a great crop of fast bowlers coming through England at the moment and it’s exciting,” Stokes said. “It’s a great place to be in now, considering the first game we had last summer when we probably had only three or four seamers to pick from.
“I’d rather be in a position where I’m scratching my head about who to ick. “The one thing I did say to the medical team is to just give me eight fast bowlers to choose from.
“We’ve got Jimmy (Anderson) and Broady (Stuart Broad) with experience and you want some kind of X-factor in there,” he emphasised.
Stokes also wants England hopefuls on the county circuit to focus on the brand of fearless cricket.
Match starts: 6.30am (IST). Live on Amazon Prime Video.
