The finale. Or, at least, pre-finale, is here.
Ever since England retired off James Anderson last year with two eyes on England’s tour of Australia 18 months down the line, all roads have led to the Ashes. Even India at home, despite what the ECB says.
It is a nonsense of England’s own creation. A state of constant warm-ups, that somehow continues even when the superpower of the world game is in town.
That’s not to say that the next five Tests won’t be blockbusters in their own right. Sellout crowds are expected across the summer with India boasting a new-look side, led by the latest cricketing superstar elect: Shubman Gill. It will be his first outing as captain, too.
These 10 Tests will define the era of Bazball. A loss against India could be salvaged with a win against Australia, but who goes away to the Ashes and wins after losing their previous series? Similarly, a win against India, but a defeat to Australia would leave a taste of mundanity in the mouth.
India haven’t beaten England on these shores since 2007, and England haven’t won in Australia since 2011. Combine those two potential results and Bazball, for all its quirks and eccentricities, will have taken us the long way round, all to end up back at the status quo.
Two wins or two losses, though? Well, that’s era-defining. Will this social experiment of sport leave with the legacy of something that was fun but failed? Or a genuine route to sporting success?
This is the third iteration of Bazball. A term the England team dislike, but one that is necessary. Everything needs a name. That’s why we have words. And what England have done has undisputedly been different. Run-scoring records have fallen at every checkpoint; all five of the fastest scores of 500-plus in Test cricket have come under this McCullum team. They have given Test caps to children based, in the case of Rehan Ahmed, on his talent. To Shoaib Bashir, on the basis of a social media clip. And to Josh Hull, on the basis of his height.
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They have discarded convention at every turn, even promoting the 21-year-old Jacob Bethell to No 3 for the series against New Zealand, despite the left-hander having never made a professional century. To begin the series, Ollie Pope will play instead of Bethell at Headingley.
But entering the fourth summer of McCullum’s reign, there is a sterner look in the eye of this England team. For the first two years, the mantra was all about removing the fear of failure and unlocking the potential of a talented but stagnant England team. “Be where your feet are,” was the message at all times. Never get ahead of yourself.
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Then, last year, the moving on of Anderson changed that. Now, England were looking ahead, with Stuart Broad, and their combined 1,308 Test wickets, soon following his long-time partner. They were planning. Aware that legacies were going to be made in the blockbuster series of 2025, not the more understated tours and opponents that awaited in 2024.
The problem for England was that along the way they stopped winning. The summer of 2024 was dominant, but ended with a complacent defeat to Sri Lanka at The Oval. Then there were the reckless batting displays in Pakistan and the distracted defeat to end what had otherwise been a successful tour of New Zealand. The further descent of the white-ball team, who had a disastrous Champions Trophy, then bled into the overall feeling towards the England team that there was too much chit-chat, too much golf and not enough winning.
England have rebuked the notion they don’t train hard enough, or don’t care enough about results. And in particular with Stokes’ Test team, the idea that they do not train at 100 per cent or care about results is wide of the mark. But England nevertheless had to accept that a wedge had been driven between the fans and the team. Rightly or wrongly, perception is reality.
And so here we are. Bazball 3.0. The team that aims to win hearts and minds as well as matches. The ‘media-savvy’, ‘humble’, England who still score at five-runs-per-over and play reverse ramps when necessary. As fans, we really do want it all.
Their first opponents are a new-age India. In the space of six months, all of Virat Kohil, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have retired meaning debuts await around every corner and Shubman Gill has been anointed as the new King of Indian cricket. The 25-year-old has long been earmarked as a future Test captain and if he does – as is expected – slot in at No 4, he takes on one of the toughest jobs in world cricket. Since 1990, only two men have ever successfully held down the position. And their names are Sachin Tendulkar and the great emperor of Test cricket himself: Kohli. In short, good luck Shubman.
This is not an all-time India team, but one at the start of their next development into being world-beaters. The 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan will make his debut and bat at No.3, while a debut may also be given to left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh. Neither of these players are household names now. But give them a few years and a scan back at the scorecards of this summer will tell a different story.
India have prepared well. India ‘A’ played two four-day matches against England Lions that featured a number of first-team players for the tourists before they played a four-day intra-squad match. They mean business and only a fool would write them off.
The hopes of India rest largely on Jasprit Bumrah. A bowler where the debate around them is in regards to whether they are the best of all-time, let alone just of their generation. Since the start of 2024 he averages 15 with the ball in Test cricket and his displays in Australia over the winter have largely been heralded as some of the finest fast-bowling performances of all time.
Problems with his back may limit him to three, or perhaps four, matches and there is not a player in the world whose presence or absence will carry such an impact on the likelihood of the result. Currently at the peak of his powers, it is a summer to make sure you buy a ticket to watch him bowl and be able to say forever more that ‘you were there when’.
Bumrah’s presence, along with a new-age India combined with Bazball entering its defining year, means that ‘warm-up’ or otherwise, seven weeks and five Test matches of enthralling cricket await.
