Geoffrey Boycott’s brutal remark on ‘Bazball’ – how fair is that to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes?

The hosts are 1-0 down with four matches to play after being beaten by two wickets by Australia in a dramatic final day at Edgbaston. But it is the freshly applied Bazball approach which has come under scrutiny since the loss.

England head coach Brendon McCullum said of England’s commitment to risky, aggressive cricket – nicknamed Bazball – that “you’re not always going to win and we understand that, but we want to keep getting up and throwing punches as a team”.

Former England batter Boycott doesn’t concur to that mindset and blamed the English team to think more of entertainment rather than victory.

“England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

“But England supporters want one thing more than anything else – to win the Ashes. Scoring fast runs, whacking lots of fours and sixes is lovely. It is great. But only if England do not lose sight of the big prize which is to beat Australia.

“If at the end of the series Australia go home with the Ashes, we will feel sick, regardless of how much we have been entertained,” he added.

He also feels the English team will have to find balance between attack and defence, and advised them to play with a bit more pragmatism and according to the situation in the coming matches.

“By all means entertain but cricket is like chess. There are moments when you need to defend. Sometimes you need to be patient and accept it. Do not just attack, attack, attack. England need a bit of common sense and pragmatism,” Boycott concluded in his column.

Is Bazball the right way to move forward for Test cricket?

But in the hindsight, a certain thought comes to mind, which is how fair is that to the England coach and captain.

Brendon McCullum, the England coach is trying to build a different playing approach, which may go on to be the numero uno tactic in the coming days. They have got success as well. The England team dismantled Pakistan in the Test series last year and have a set of players who are willing to play to the style and evolve.

Ben Stokes, the England captain has also done extremely well for the team and has led his troops brilliantly. Despite being early days, the Bazball does have a blueprint for success and can be a way of moving forward in the era of pace and dynamism.

Some of the approach needs rectification, like the one when England decided to declare on Day 1 with Joe Root still at the crease. Had they scored some crucial runs then, that could have proved to be the deciding factor in the outcome.

But overall, Bazball is a method which if implemented properly, can definitely yield success. For the pundits who are inclined to the traditional approach, it will be a tough pill to digest but to be very honest, Bazball or its upcoming updated versions are the way for Test cricket to move forward.