Ashes 2023: England's 'Bazball' strategy gets its hype check against Australia

For 12 months, England’s ‘Bazball’ strategy – an aggressive brand of cricket to go bang, bang with the bat – has paid dividends under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Of 13 Tests, England have won 11. Sixes have rained with jaw-droppingly high strike rates.

It’s not just the batters, either. The bowlers have taken 20 wickets in 12 of 13 Tests as opposition-after-opposition has been stiffled to give in. To throw in the towel.

First it was New Zealand at home, then India, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand (away) and most recently Ireland. South Africa thumped England in the first Test in August last year and New Zealand grinded out a nervous win but Stokes-led side’s approach has largely remained unchanged.

The question, though, is: Can England regain the Ashes playing their ultra-aggressive cricket or will they come unstuck against battle-hardened Australia?

The answer to that will come over the coming few weeks, starting today, with the first Test in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Steve Waugh, the last Australia captain to win an Ashes series in England in 2011, is not alone in questioning whether Stokes’s side have an alternative plan.

“Have they got a Plan B?” Waugh said to the Australian media. “They have shown they are good enough to carry this style of cricket off but the ultimate test will be against a world-class bowling attack, which Australia has got.”

Compounding Australia’s credentials is their most recent win against India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval. The 209-run win margin highlighted this Australian team is not easy to beat.

All-rounder Stokes, however, is adamant they have no reason to alter their approach.

“Nothing is going to change because we’ve had unbelievable success with it,” the 32-year-old told the BBC.

“If we were to change anything from the last 12 months because we find ourselves in an Ashes series then anything from the last 12 months will have been completely pointless.”

Besides scoring at a strike rate of 4.85 runs per over in the last over, England have been stellar with the ball too.

Great James Anderson, Test cricket’s most successful paceman, said, “The (bowling) run-rate is irrelevant to Ben in particular,” explained Anderson.

“He’s like ‘I don’t care how many runs you go for, I want 20 wickets as quickly as possible’. You’re constantly thinking, as a bowler then, about ‘How am I taking my next wicket’?”

Of more immediate concern for England though is is Stokes’ fitness. He sported heavy strapping on his left knee. The seamer opted against bowling against Ireland while struggling with a knee injury.

He has since declared himself fit to bowl and with Anderson and fellow paceman Ollie Robinson suffering niggling injuries, the hosts will hope he can make good on those words.

England will be without Jack Leach for the whole Ashes after the left-arm spinner was ruled out with a back problem.

Moeen Ali has been recalled in his absence and the off-spinner’s two-year Test retirement will end at his Edgbaston home ground, with England naming their playing XI in advance.

Ashes-holders Australia, by contrast, have a proven world-class off-spinner in Nathan Lyon, who is closing in on 500 Test wickets.

Captain Pat Cummins is in the fortunate position of deciding if either Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood join him in a fast-bowling attack likely to include Scott Boland.

Boland’s fine WTC final display — a fifer — left him with 33 wickets in eight Tests at a miserly average of 14.57.

Second-ranked Australia drew the last Ashes series in England in 2019 2-2 and demolished the old enemy 4-0 on home turf in 2021/22.

But they have not won a series in England for 22 years, with many of their batters, except Steve Smith, struggling to adapt to English conditions.

Australia have now gone 12 Test innings in England since enjoying a first-wicket stand of 20 or more, while under-pressure opener David Warner, 36, has managed just one century in his past 34 Test innings against all opponents.

His battle with nemesis Stuart Broad will be just one of a number of fascinating subplots, with Tests at Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval to follow the curtainraiser in Birmingham.

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