Bazball now approaching moment of truth

COOK BELIEVES NEXT YEAR IS PIVOTAL FOR RISKY STYLE

- Mike Walters

ON THE knight shift, Sir Alastair Cook feels the next 12 months will define Bazball's gift to Test cricket.

If Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum bring home the sacred urn after next winter's Ashes series Down Under, they will be celebrated as the dream ticket that transformed attrition into a three-ring circus.

But former England skipper Cook says they need a "tangible" prize to consecrate the breathless run rates, trick shots and sheer audacity that have changed the sport's outlook.

As captain and coach, Stokes and McCullum won 10 of their first 11 Tests but in 2024 the going has been heavier: Seven wins, seven defeats.