Sir Geoffrey Boycott Gets Candid About England’s Newfound Baz-Ball Approach

Under head coach Brendon McCullum, England's sole Test series defeat was a disappointing 3-1 los to India in early 2024, played away from home.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott Gets Candid About England’s Newfound Baz-Ball Approach

Sir Geoffrey Boycott lauded England's 'Baz-Ball' style of play, under head coach Brendon McCullum. (via NDTV Sports)

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Ex-England opener Sir Geoffrey Boycott spoke about the Three Lions’ newfound ‘Baz-Ball’ approach of playing red-ball cricket. While acknowledging the transformation under head coach Brendon McCullum, Boycott stressed that any criticism of the new style should be constructive.

The England Test team has been on a great run since former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum was appointed head coach of the red-ball side in 2022. He fully transitioned to the all-format coach role last year. McCullum’s arrival and all-rounder Ben Stokes’ accession to the captaincy role has translated in strong performances, both at home and away, with the team having won 14 of its last 22 matches.

Under McCullum’s guidance, the Three Lions have won Test series’ against New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, while drawing series against Australia and India. England’s spectacular rise has been attributed to the ‘Baz-Ball’ approach, which has instilled an aggressive mindset in the team’s approach to playing Test cricket. Since the inception of this style of play, England has batted exceptionally well, averaging a high run-rate of 4+ per over, while actively seeking a result in every match. 

While critics have argued that the ‘Baz-Ball’ approach is not a sustainable one, Englishman Sir Geoffrey Boycott backed the newfound approach, asserting that it is a vast improvement from the pre-2022 period when the team struggled under Joe Root‘s captaincy and Chris Silverwood‘s coaching.

Under Root, the team only saw limited success, winning only eight of the 19 bilateral series they played and losing nine. Sir Geoffrey Boycott stated on the Stick to Cricket podcast:

I’ve always been a little wary of being too critical. People have a habit of forgetting how bad we [England] were under Joe [Root]. Joe is a wonderful player, but as a captain and his team were such a low.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott recalled England’s ‘terrible’ 0-1 away series defeat to West Indies in 2022, noting that the body language of the players meant they were not enjoying playing Test cricket. The 84-year-old gave significant credit to McCullum for reviving the team’s spirit.

However, Boycott did not fully endorse ‘Baz-Ball’, noting that the approach is ‘silly’ as it often results in the Three Lions being overly attacking. He instead stated that the players should aim to enjoy and play ‘sensibly’ to win a match. 

Brendon [McCullum] came, without him it would not have happened. So full marks, fantastic! They got to be careful. We have seen them sometimes go overboard, playing daft attacking cricket.

The Three Lions are now preparing for their next major assignments. It includes the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes, with the England team set to travel to Australia for the five-match red-ball series, where ‘Baz-Ball’ will likely be put to the test once again.

Brendon McCullum Mulls Over the Possibility of Appointing Harry Brook As England’s Test Vice-Captain

Brendon McCullum is reportedly considering appointing Harry Brook as the Three Lions’ new red-ball vice-captain, as deputy to skipper Ben Stokes. McCullum recently revealed that the questions surrounding the team’s vice-captain would be discussed, ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes. 

England new Test vice-captain Harry Brook
Brendon McCullum hinted at the possibility of Harry Brook being appointed as England’s new Test vice-captain. (via India Today)

McCullum met with England’s team managing director Rob Key in London, before flying back home after the end of the busy cricketing summer. While it was initially reported that the issue of the Test vice-captaincy was not discussed in the meeting, it might come up before the final squad is announced for the 2025-26 Ashes, with Harry Brook in line to replace Ollie Pope, who was appointed to the role in 2023.

The former New Zealand icon revealed that the board is considering Harry Brook for vice-captaincy, given his recent rise to the position of England’s white-ball skipper. Brendon McCullum praised the 26-year-old’s leadership abilities, and also shared his experience of working with Brook, describing him as a ‘work in progress’ who likes to keep things simple and maintains a strong rapport with his teammates. He told reporters:

I think it’s no secret that Harry Brook is emerging as a leader within English cricket, so that’s something we need to work out… He keeps things very simple. We’ve got a really good relationship and I think that started well.

Harry Brook has also excelled with the bat since making his Test debut in 2022, and briefly rose to the no. 1 spot on the ICC Test Batting Rankings, during the home Test series against India. The 26-year-old has so far, scored 2,820 runs in 30 matches, at an average of 57.55, hitting ten hundreds and 13 fifties. 

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