Last term, I wrote an article on England cricket after their demoralising Test series defeat in India. The gist of the article was that, despite the loss, England should keep faith in its head coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum and his Bazball brand of cricket, and that the team would ultimately learn from the experience.
Six months on, I feel fairly validated. England cricket has persisted with Bazball amid heavy criticism (no need to thank me, Rob Key), and have been rewarded with a strong showing in the home summer, winning five Tests out of six against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. And, as I predicted, there’s been a maturing of the team— a refinement of their methods.
They don’t go into tricky situations with the same reckless abandon now; there’s a recognition of the need to grind it out sometimes. At Old Trafford, Joe Root batted sensibly and slowly ground out the chase in front of a probing Sri Lankan attack. Similarly, in the next Test at Lord’s, Root took care to put on 143 before attempting his much-maligned reverse scoop, which was promptly caught at gully.
To me, however, the story of the summer is the rise of young talents in the team. With the retirement of Jimmy Anderson, Root and captain Ben Stokes are the only regular selections on the team that are above the age of 30. England is fielding probably the youngest Test team in the world, and surprisingly, they don’t feel unsteady.
Credit where it’s due to Baz and Stokes: virtually every single player they’ve picked has performed well at the international level. Their selections are often left-field, often ignoring contenders with traditionally solid numbers behind them in the county system. Instead, they tend to pick on attributes, and it’s worked out so far.
Examples of this abound. This year, Shoaib Bashir was picked for the India tour as a spinner for his height and High Release Point™, despite fairly poor numbers in county cricket. He’s had a promising tour in India and then skittled the West Indies at Trent Bridge. Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith, both Surrey players, debuted this summer and have slipped comfortably into the team; Atkinson taking 34 wickets at 20, and Smith scoring 487 runs at nearly 50. They’ve shouldered a lot of responsibility and have responded admirably.
I’ve always credited Bazball for backing its players and creating an environment of positivity and self-belief that allows them to thrive. I think this culture is the reason why so many young players come into the team and perform well. Don’t forget, the top three of Crawley, Duckett, and Pope have all been accused of technical deficiency, but the environment and the backing they receive has helped them settle in and start performing. And now, strange as it may seem, they are becoming the seniors in this team.
Yes, really, whisper it if you must, the changeover of generations has already happened. Stokes’ absence due to injury in the Sri Lanka series led to Ollie Pope taking over as captain, which is a role he will undoubtedly inherit in the future. In the last year, Broad and Anderson have retired, Foakes and Bairstow been replaced, Leach and Robinson dropped. Bazball 2.0 has been characterised by the desire for fresh faces, and these fresh faces make the youngsters of yore look old by comparison. ‘Potential’ is the watchword for this new era.
It’s no secret what this potential is meant to be unleashed for: Baz and Stokes are clear that all their selections and planning lead to the Ashes in Australia in the winter of 2025/26. They want pacers that are genuinely fast and get lots of bounce, like Atkinson and Olly Stone. They want aggressive spinners like Bashir, and aggressive batters like Crawley. It’s increasingly apparent that they’re cutting off all the deadwood that has plagued England and replacing it with young talent that can challenge for the Ashes.
It’s an ambitious plan, especially since the youth of England will be up against the oldest and most experienced Australian team in decades. Baz and Stokes have their task cut out for them. England play 11 Tests before the Ashes, six of which are tours of Pakistan and New Zealand this winter. This winter’s Tests will probably determine who is on the plane to Australia.
Now that the first Test in Pakistan has already finished, we have some perspective on what the touring plans are. Brydon Carse was called up and impressed (me, at least) with the pace and bounce he offered. Leach returned to the team and was instrumental in helping the team beat Pakistan by an innings after conceding 500+ in the first innings. Woakes was in fact backed to lead the bowling away from home, and Pope was given the captaincy in Stokes’ absence. Now, Stokes will return for the second Test and is likely to bowl a bit as well.
The batting lineup seems settled for the Ashes, so I won’t dwell on it longer than one prediction: Joe Root will finally make his first century in Australia this Ashes. He’s in sublime form and this is practically his last chance. Beyond that, I won’t offer comments on what seems to be a very stable batting order.
There are still questions around the bowling, though, and especially the pace attack. The foremost is of Chris Woakes. He played in Pakistan, yes, but will he play in the Ashes? His bowling has never looked inspiring Down Under, but leaving him out means fielding a bowling attack with zero experience of Australian conditions. I think he’ll be in the squad, but won’t play.
As for the other pacers, Atkinson and Wood seem to be locks if healthy. Then there is a whole battery of options to choose from: Tongue, Hull, Potts, etc. I personally favour Stone and Carse. They’ve both bowled at good pace and bounce, and bowl at awkward angles for the batter. I predict Carse will feature prominently in the Ashes.
Last is Stokes. He needs to bowl again, but more than anything else he needs to do Ben Stokes things when the chips are down; I don’t see England winning the series without one of his talismanic performances. This is probably his last tour to Australia. Let’s see if he makes the most of it.
