Bazball ‘misconceptions’ are ‘disrespectful’ to England: Brendon McCullum slams critics

“I think there’s a bit of a misconception about how we play, that we swing the bat as hard as we can, we try to take wickets and then we go for a round of golf and a few beers.

“I find it slightly disrespectful to all of you guys (the players) and all of the people in the set-up who work so hard and have such clear determination of wanting to succeed, to have that so simply categorised, almost,” McCullum told the ‘For the Love of Cricket’ podcast, as reported by ‘BBC Sport’. “We never have that kind of mindset about ourselves in the sense that, we’re not rigid in how we go about things.”

When McCullum took over the team in 2022, England were struggling, having won just one Test in 17 games. They have since been known and largely loved in their country for the aggressive approach. But there have been some critics, outside and a few inside, about their rigidity. Flat pitches are prepared, and the game tends to meander along before exploding on the final day, due to match situation, when England are usually chasing.

“”For us, it’s about trying to create an environment that allows you to handle the pressures of international cricket, to understand the size of that task but to not be restricted in your ability to play,” McCullum said. “You want your talent to come out, I hate seeing talent stymied, so having a certain style or belief in how we want to play gives us the best chance of success. You can’t do that if you are bound by this tension and negativity.”

McCullum, who now heads the white-ball team as well, had decided to lead only the Test team in the initial years. He shared his reasons for it.

“I felt like what you guys needed at that time, my skills were kind of suited to that (Test cricket) – giving guys confidence and encouragement to push the boundaries of their games.”

To make Bazball happen, though, it has to be said that England have had to take life out of the pitches. Their bowlers are run to the ground, too much dirty work is asked of them. That the bowlers have bought into this Bazball-ism is a credit to the charismatic leadership of Ben Stokes and McCullum.

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