England’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy has revolutionized the way they play Test cricket. Under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coaching from Brendon McCullum. It’s an amazing accomplishment that they have won 11 of the last 13 Test matches since they have been in charge.
However, despite some incredible batting performances with their ultra-attacking strategy, there have also been instances where some of their decisions have left some people scratching their heads.
They did not hesitate to take that chance, and the declaration is an example of such a choice.
On that note, let’s take a look at three occasions when England made a rather bold declaration during the ‘Bazball’ era:
1. 1st Test of the Ashes in 2023 Edgbaston between England and Australia.
The Ashes 2023 Test currently taking place at Edgbaston may have witnessed the most perplexing statement of the Bazball era. The hosts lost a good number of wickets on Day 1 due to hasty shots on a fairly flat batting surface. Joe Root’s team reached 393/8 thanks to an outstanding hundred.
Ben Stokes ruled the inning over just as it appeared that Root would start and likely add 30–40 more runs with the tail. Australia is in a great position to win the first innings with a score of 311/5 at the conclusion of Day 2.
Stokes’ decision to declare becomes even more puzzling in light of this. Only time will tell if the hosts regret not adding more runs, as they had the option to do so.
2 1st Test match between Pakistan and England, Rawalpindi, 2022.
Both teams scored heavily in their respective first innings, and it appeared that the first of the three Tests between England and Pakistan would end in a draw. However, the Bazball strategy allowed the guests to score a few quick runs in their second inning.
Ben Stokes made the brave decision to declare the inning when there were still almost four complete sessions left. The fact that the target was only 343 and Pakistan had a great chance to reach it in the final innings on a belter of a pitch raised many eyebrows.
The hosts eventually had to attempt to win the game, so that was not to be. Due to the early declaration, the visitors had enough time to bowl out Pakistan, as they defeated Pakistan by 74 runs.
3. 1st Test match, New Zealand vs England, Mount Maunganui, 2023.
The extremely aggressive batting strategy of England would undoubtedly be put to the test during the pink ball Test in the windy conditions of New Zealand. However, they didn’t hesitate to play their particular brand of cricket and started off strong.
Even though the visitors lost wickets frequently, their attitude of perseverance allowed them to score 325 runs in their first innings. Their team launched an assault on New Zealand thanks to some excellent half-centuries from Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.
However, the visitors ultimately decided to declare their innings at 325/9 in order to take on New Zealand with the new ball under the lights. Although it seemed like an odd choice, it ended up benefiting them since Ben Stokes and Co. Ended up losing by 267 runs.
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