Sports · 8 January 2026
England cricket drops Bazball after Ashes defeat
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New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
England's aggressive Bazball cricket philosophy has been declared dead by cricket journalists and faces an uncertain future after Australia clinched the Ashes series in just 11 days. The ECB has reportedly given coach Brendon McCullum an ultimatum to abandon the attacking approach or face dismissal. Cricket commentators and former players criticise the strategy as naive against top teams while captain Ben Stokes admitted his team failed to handle pressure during the crushing defeats.
Reported by ESPNcricinfo · How we write briefs