LEEDS: England’s ultra-aggressive approach has brought plenty of highs and also drawn criticism for some self-inflicted lows, but their thrilling win over India showed a refined version of ‘Bazball’ that could produce a year to remember. When coach Brendon McCullum teamed up with bit-hitting skipper Ben Stokes, the term ‘Bazball’ quickly became a staple in cricket vernacular, as the normally conservative English test arena was treated to a new, rip-roaring style. A team who had won one of their previous 17 Test matches not only enjoyed a massive uplift in results, the manner of their victories came about thanks to a rapid run rate not previously seen in Test cricket. Criticism came when their aggressive approach was seen as too cavalier, especially during last year’s Ashes series where they were the better side in many matches but ended up drawing the series. Skipper Stokes hinted prior to the highly-anticipated Test series with India that his team would refine their approach slightly, to become “smarter” in certain situations. After an exhilarating five-wicket victory over India in the first Test, achieved by the 10th highest successful run chase in history, a controlled England backed up their skipper’s promises. A performance former captain Michael Vaughan labelled “Bazball with brains” ensured a crucial period got off to the perfect start ahead of 10 Tests, with the Ashes series in Australia to come next, which could define the McCullum-Stokes era. “There’s been a lot of skill that has contributed to us winning this Test match but our attitude as well,” Stokes told reporters after England’s Headingley win. “Every session we turned up with the attitude that we could blow this match apart.” This was England’s second-highest fourth-innings run-chase, just behind the 378-3 they managed also against Indiaat Edgbaston not long after Stokes and McCullum joined forces. “I think we’re just a very simple-minded pair, me and Baz [McCullum], when it comes to cricket,” Stokes said. “Everyone knows what cricket is about, it’s about scoring more runs than the opposition. When you strip it all back, that’s it...When you’re chasing totals like that, how you are in the dressing room is very important. “Everyone who went out there and got runs read the situation. We chose our moments to actually put pressure back on them. We could see, in moments where the game could swing, that we needed to assess and hold off on that pressure. Winning any Test match is a lot of hard work, but to start a series off with a victory in the way that we’ve done it here, is very satisfying.” A draw was never in England’s view coming into day five on Tuesday. McCullum and Stokes have only drawn once in 24 Tests, and that was due to rain. What they did not do, however, was go at as rapid a rate as before. Crawley and Duckett took 99 balls to bring up their opening 50 partnership — the longest it has taken the pair to do so for England. The openers did up the ante after lunch as Duckett reached his sublime century, but there was no throwing caution to the wind. The risky reverse sweeps still came out with regularity later on, while the boundaries still flowed: England even clinched victory with back-to-back sixes. It was just toned down enough to ensure going that step too far, against elite opposition, could be somewhat tempered. “The conversations have been tweaked a little bit about being a little bit more clinical and winning more games certainly,” Crawley told Sky Sports. “There’s been certain times in the last few years maybe where we’ve thrown away winning positions and that’s what we’re trying to just tweak a little bit now, be a fraction more clinical.” India coach Gautam Gambhir said the tourists would still stand by their plan to play Bumrah — who, remarkably, went wicketless in the second innings at Headingley — in just three of the five Tests to preserve his fitness following a back injury. “We won’t change the plans,” Gambhir said after India’s attack rarely threatened on the final day in Leeds. “To manage his workload is more important. Before he came on this tour, it was already decided he would play three Tests but let’s see how his body turns out.” There is now a break of more than a week until the second Test in Birmingham starts on July 2, with former India batsman Gambhir adding: “We haven’t decided which two other Test matches he’s going to play. We absolutely have the bowling attack to take 20 wickets. We pick the squad on trust, not on hope.” Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2025