The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

Hello, good afternoon sports fans. I hope you’re well, looking after yourselves and are in good health. We need to talk.

What we need to talk about is the England cricket team and the way they play, the Bazball way, which is named after coach Brendan McCullum.

There is a superb column on this by guest columnist for the BBC, Glen McGrath. As a sports fan of 27 years and a sports writer of 10, I dare think I have an opinion that has a right to be aired/voiced.

Former New Zealand international McCullum was a wicket-keeper batsman until injury struck, which limited him behind the stumps.

What made Brendan stand out was his disdain for many of the world’s top bowlers. Whether it be Australia’s quicks or Pakistan’s it didn’t matter to him, he had the goal of when he sees the ball, he’s going to hit ball.

On the whole, as an opening batsman, Brendan McCullum was superb in doing this. The New Zealander many a time would help his side get off to a fast and thrilling start.

There was one time notably when McCullum wasn’t able to get a good score, the 2015 World Cup final. When Rob Key was appointed as director of cricket, he promised change, many didn’t expect it like this.

Joe Root after feeling burdened by being England captain, stepped down from his role as captain of the test team.

In a decision that didn’t come as too much of a surprise, vice-captain at the time Ben Stokes made the step up to captain.

The Durham all-rounder alongside new coach McCullum promised a more positive approach, in what has been called in the media as Bazball (named after the coach himself).

Brendan McCullum himself has said in interviews he didn’t like the phrase. One thing was for certain, whatever the name of this new way of playing was, for England’s players it was working.

The Three Lions scored 500 runs in a single day of test cricket, which is a record. Who can forget the +300 run fourth innings run chases they did against New Zealand and India?

So there have been a lot of happy memories with the attacking approach that England have embraced. In this Ashes series, which was always going to be a challenge for England has shown that the so-called Bazball method needs fine-tuning.

Ben Duckett who has impressed in his last two innings, was on 98 and needlessly gave his wicket away. But it’s Bazball and positive cricket the fans of the other side of the argument will say.

Ok, I get that, it’s good to not allow yourselves to get bogged down. Positive intent is great, but in these two tests, I am sorry to use such strong terminology, the cricket has been closed to brain dead.

In the second test at one stage England were 200-2, only to be all out and conceded a 91-run lead, that’s unforgivable.
The rest of the England team can look at how Australia play the game and adapt that model, but at the same time, they shouldn’t.

For the past year or so, this has been the method that England trusts and to a point, it’s working. Skipper Ben Stokes who scored a scintillating 155 at Lords, did something similar two years before.

The England captain didn’t blindly slog the ball, which is what they have done at times in The Ashes. Guys, play the way Ben Stokes did.

Your captain was striking at less than 100, but he was keeping England in the game and competitive. It was a measured knock by the 32-year-old Stokes.

Ben Stokes was able to hit 9 sixes and nine fours, just to give you an idea of how good his innings was.

On this occasion, England didn’t win, but it got Australia who are the world champions in this format and 2-0 up in the series, worried and anxious for a period.

England in the next test will be asking for more of the same, please.

https://amourscents.com/?ref=8jvems1i

Use my code; AYYAZTHEBEARDED and you can get 10% off your overall shop on their wonderful products.

Be sure not to miss out on their fantastic buy two get third free deal (3 for 2).

Here at the-sports-buff.com, we have enjoyed serving you the readers. Thank you for your support and your feedback. We are aiming to grow, and we need your help.

We please need your support as we look to grow and improve our site. With as little or as much as you can do to our site to grow, so it be one of the pioneers of sports that we know it can be, we appreciate if you can donate, as much or as little as you can. With your donation, we are determined to donate part of it to a local sports community centre.