By Pakistan’s Cricket Team Stumbles: Bazball Strategy Falls Flat
The England cricket team’s aggressive “Bazball” approach, led by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, has had a significant impact on other teams, including Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Batting Camp and Shift in Mindset
After being whitewashed 3-0 at home by England’s Bazball approach, Pakistan’s team management made a concerted effort to alter their batting approach during a one-week camp at the National High-Performance Camp in Lahore. The emphasis was on attacking intent, using the feet, playing sweeps, reverse sweeps, and changing the conventional style of playing against spinners. The coaches aimed to change the mindset of the batsmen, instilling confidence to play unconventional shots without fear of failure. This has led to batting with no common sense and trying to ape senseless aggression. This thinking is creating a situation which is badly affecting all formats of cricket.
Big total plays big total, and then the game accelerates towards a result late in the game, with spin often coming into it on the last day. It’s like a cycling sprint race, in which you have to ensure you’re in the right position for the final surge.
That brings us to the declaration. With Mohammad Rizwan closing in on a double and Shaheen Shah Afridi assuming his T20 finisher’s role, runs were pouring as swiftly as they would in a Test. Bangladesh demonstrated that there was ample time to reach a total of more than 550 and still force a result, whereas Pakistan’s score was unlikely to be a ‘bat once’. Crashing another 100 runs and withdrawing late on day two would have increased Pakistan’s chances of winning, not decreased them, by raising scoreboard pressure and leaving Bangladesh with no way to win but the “baseball approach kicked in. Early declaration was as mindless as erratic selection and did not include in-form spin options.
Shahid Afridi questions Pakistan's selection call following their first-ever loss to Bangladesh in Test cricket.#PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/r6cCh7bswz
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 26, 2024
This suggests a stronger effect on Pakistan’s strategy: Ben Stokes’ England. Pakistan has been the most completely bazballed of them all, with a 3-0 triumph in Pakistan serving as a statement for Brendon McCullum’s team.
Since then, they’ve become acolytes. “Test cricket has changed,” Masood declared when he took over as captain. “As a batting unit, we must raise our scoring rate and be prepared to take 20 wickets. These are the fundamentals of test matches. We shall do our best to do these things correctly. We discussed as a team how to play with both a positive and aggressive approach.
Not pleased with the pitch and the bowling combination is Shahid Afridi 😐#PAKvBAN pic.twitter.com/UmJnndDFct
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 26, 2024
Even before Masood, Babar had tried to ape Stokes, most strikingly with a declaration that set New Zealand 138 to win in 15 overs. Ten wickets, it was clear to anyone, were impossible. The run rate was at least theoretically doable. It was nonsense, even if the game did end in a draw.
