With only one victory in 17 Test matches, England was in deep water. In May, they hired Brendon McCullum as coach and named Ben Stokes as their new captain, and the two had an immediate impact. Since the two took centre stage, the British have won all four red-ball matches, including a thrashing 3-0 victory over the world Test champions New Zealand and a record 378 chase against India in the much-delayed Edgbaston Test. Bazball, named after McCullum’s pet moniker “Baz,” is the English team’s new swashbuckling approach to the format.
In a three-match Test series against South Africa, England hopes to maintain their aggressive strategy. However, Dean Elgar believes that “Bazball” lacks “longevity” and that against the Kiwi team, England may have “gone away with egg on their faces.”
“The new England style is quite interesting. But I don’t see that there’s longevity in brave cricket because I see things evening out over time in Test cricket,”
SAID THE SOUTH AFRICA CAPTAIN IN AN INTERVIEW WITH WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY.
“There was often parity between England and New Zealand and had New Zealand taken their opportunities, and their catches, then things could have been very different. England would have come away with egg on their faces.”
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South Africa to bounce back better assures Dean Elgar
Despite catching a peak of “Bazball” during their warm-up match against the England Lions, who amassed 672 all out. Thanks to hundreds from Harry Brook (140 off 170) and Ben Duckett. Aiden Markram stated that South Africa won’t play with the same mindset (145 from 168). South Africa scored 433 runs in their first innings, but the pair responded with 37 fours and six sixes.
“I don’t see our team falling into a trap of playing the same way that they play. We’ve had chats about not falling into that trap, backing the way that we play, especially with bat in hand. We’ll keep training our game plans and hopefully it works well,”
SAID THE PROTEAS BATTER.
“There’s lots of experience on our side. It’s inexperience that can lead into that trap. We’ve had chats about it, we will play our own way and see how it unfolds after that.”
