Bazball approach tied to England’s bland pitches

Changing tack: Seam is in, swing is out

- Somshuvra Laha

Not too long ago, winning the toss and batting was the norm. Notwithstanding overhead conditions, soil texture or the roller used, it is generally accepted that the pitch stays good for batting till the third day before it starts leaning towards bowlers. Basically, risk batting till the third innings but definitely not in the fourth.

In England though, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have ripped out that page from the pitch preparation manual with favourable results — 16 wins, 5 defeats and one draw —since they joined forces in June, 2022.

Seven of those wins came after England chose to bowl. In each of the five Tests England lost the toss and were asked to bowl, they won. So convinced was Stokes about this approach that in the Birmingham Test of 2022, he won the toss and promptly said “we'll have a chase”. England chased down 378 on the fifth day.

This was a bold England, but also a very predictable England, courtesy the pitches that facilitated their freestyle batting. Asking them to bat first thus is one of the two ways of wrong-footing England. The other is what India did at Edgbaston — bury them under so many runs that chasing becomes inconceivable as does grinding out a draw because it’s not hardwired into their psyche.