It feels like a long time ago that perhaps the most chaotic summer of men’s test cricket in living memory began at Lord’s with England facing New Zealand. The prolific return of Ollie Robinson (who took 28 wickets at an average of 9.32 this summer) and a first England test win since the painful winter down under seemed to have fostered a sense of optimism that the BazBall era might have emerged from the ashes (pun intended), with a fine-tuned approach and winning mentality.
This optimism was quickly crushed however, by yet another nightclub incident involving the captain himself, Ben Stokes, and fast-bowler Gus Atkinson, whose brawl-starting and curfew-breaking antics cast a dark spell over English cricket once again. With those two ruled out, a much-changed England side were swept aside with ease by the Kiwis in the second test, setting up a decider at Trent Bridge. There, New Zealand went about their business as quietly and consistently as ever, placing a dampener on the last bow of the Ben Stokes era. The captain’s retirement mid-game caused a frenzy not only in the media and amongst fans, but apparently within the dressing room too. Judging by the batting performance when chasing a formidable total in the final innings, England had, to put it frankly, lost their heads a little. This was epitomised by Harry Brook, who was widely chastised for not utilising his immense talent to its fullest extent, and holed out in the deep after less than 10 balls.
Something which simply cannot be denied is the legacy that Stokes leaves behind as both a player and a captain. As a player, he was known as one of the most talented and hard-working. Capable of changing the game in a matter of moments with bat or ball and in the field, he was a man whose performances lifted his entire team from the depths of defeat to immortalised victories. As a captain, he was an equally transformative leader of men. He converted a period where England had won just once in seventeen matches to one of its most successful in history (in terms of win percentage), making him one of the most renowned captains ever. However, it’s one thing to transform a team’s fortunes and quite another to be the greatest test team in the world. To do that, you have to win a big series. Along with their seeming inability to read (and win) crucial moments in huge contests, this was what ultimately spelt the end of the BazBall era.
That said, it has been a summer of two halves. The rather solemn and defeatist nature in which England lost that test series and the seeming chaos and debris that was left behind has given way to hope. From mayhem to momentum, Pakistan were the ideal opponents for England’s new regime to kick off against. Having reappointed Joe Root to the position of captain and called in Stephen Fleming to replace Brendon McCullum, a 3-0 series win was the only way that England could have reclaimed some sense of traction, heading into another crucial year.
Alongside this, a dominant white-ball summer with comprehensive defeats of world champions India and Sri Lanka has proven that this split formula (a separation of red-ball and white-ball captains and coaches with equal focus on both) is proof that they might be heading in the right direction. After a white-ball tri-series in Pakistan and games in Australia, England’s Test team will be challenged by World Test Championship winners, South Africa. By the end of that series, we will be closer to knowing whether England will have what it takes to convert their obvious talent into consistent wins against the best teams – perfect preparation for their efforts to win back the urn come next summer.
“england cricket team” by openDemocracy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
