86-575: Bazball is an informal term coined by ESPN Cricinfo UK editor Andrew Miller during the 2022 English cricket season , referring to the style of play of the England cricket team in Test matches . It was developed after the appointments of Brendon McCullum (whose nickname is Baz ) as Test head coach and Ben Stokes as Test captain by English cricket managing director Rob Key in May 2022. The Bazball style and mindset
172-411: A 25% stake in the company (a valuation of around £100 million). It used around $ 22m worth of the paper to pay off initial investors but only raised about £6 million by selling the remaining stock. While the site continued to attract more and more users and operated on a very low cost base, its income was not enough to support a peak staff of 130 in nine countries, forcing redundancies . In 2000, Cricinfo
258-431: A batsman, which for, I suppose the 150 years, has always been one way." Ben Stokes said the style was discussed from his very first meeting as captain with McCullum, with Stokes telling the media that "I have been thinking stuff like that but the first chat with Baz was 'yeah we can do it this way – why not?'... It has taken away all the external pressures of playing international sport. There's enough on individuals and as
344-399: A bevy of scorecard options, allowing readers to track such aspects of the game as wagon wheels and partnership breakdowns. For each match, the live scores are accompanied by a bulletin, which details the turning points of the match and some of the off-field events. The site also used to offer Cricinfo 3D , a feature which utilizes a match's scoring data to generate a 3D animated simulation of
430-568: A captain and coach that don't want draws. We're not playing for draws." The desire to seek results to Test matches led to a Stokes declaration in Rawalpindi against Pakistan that was seen as a risk and "about 50 runs shy of what experts felt would be the ideal score to have enough cushion", only to win by 74 runs after giving Pakistan the chance to win. They played less defensively, leading to former Australian cricketer and now commentator Mark Waugh saying "Courageous, fearless positive mindset gets them
516-406: A coffee, in my flip flops, and Baz came up and said, 'you are in next, get your pads on. I think the crowd has gone a bit quiet, you are a local boy so try and hit your first ball for four and get them revved up again'." Broad, however, was never required in the role, and it was later on in the year that 18-year-old spin bowler Rehan Ahmed first got to be nighthawk, promoted to bat at number three in
602-473: A counter-attacking knock of 97 runs off just 118 balls, also putting up a 148-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara . The match ultimately ended in a draw . India had many first-choice players unavailable due to injury, and were the underdogs going into the match played in The Gabba where Australia had not been defeated since 1988. Pant put in a match-winning performance on day five, as India chased down
688-530: A former Australian cricketer, directly links the 2014 death of Phillip Hughes to the development of Bazball. Ali Martin in The Guardian described the Bazball philosophy as "play positive red-ball [Test] cricket; to soak up pressure when required but also be brave enough to put it back on opponents at the earliest opportunity; to make taking wickets the sole aim in the field; and to strive chiefly for victory across
774-650: A hairline fracture of his left thumb during India's game against Australia. Following the World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Pant as the rising star of the squad. In September 2019, during the second Test against the West Indies , Pant became the fastest wicketkeeper for India to affect fifty dismissals in Test cricket. In January 2021, during the fourth Test against Australia , Pant became
860-499: A live match. Regular columns on ESPNcricinfo include "All Today's Yesterdays", an "On this day" column focusing on historical cricket events, and "Quote Unquote", which features notable quotes from cricketers and cricket administrators. "Ask Steven" is a weekly column, published on Tuesdays, in which Steven Lynch answers users' questions on all things cricket. Furthermore, "The Light Roller" and "The Briefing" contain satire on cricket's recent events. Among its most extensive features
946-564: A magazine dedicated to coverage of Indian cricket . The magazine published its last issue in July 2007. In 2006, revenue was reported to be £3m. In 2007, the Wisden Group began to be broken up and sold to other companies; BSkyB acquired The Wisden Cricketer , while Sony Corporation acquired the Hawk-Eye ball tracking system. In June 2007, ESPN Inc. announced that it had acquired Cricinfo from
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#17328878763631032-531: A meeting of directors of cricket from the first-class counties to discuss the way they intend the England team to play and the subsequent qualities needed in future international players. It was said they were looking to develop a culture in which no constraints of past processes exist, with a focus on optimising each player's unique strengths. This didn't mean each player had to play in the same buccaneering style as had been England's hallmark under McCullum and Stokes, but
1118-423: A new level...What we see on the field pulling the strings...he's constantly active, making plays and always thinking about wickets and he's so consistent with his message that he doesn't care about runs. That's one thing...his general positivity is quite staggering." Tactics in the field included moving fielders constantly, changing bowlers to improve match-ups, and utilising unconventional fielding positions including
1204-407: A period of 102 runs in nine overs hit by Stokes and Jonny Bairstow , Stokes was quoted as saying "The message just was run into the fear of what the game was rather than stand still or back away from it...I'll say it quite simply: we were either winning this game or losing it. That was the mentality that we wanted all the batsmen coming in to have...It's obviously paid off. When you have the backing of
1290-590: A record-breaking 27 crores. Rishabh Pant was born on 4 October 1997 in Roorkee , Uttarakhand , India to Rajendra Pant and Saroj Pant. He also has an elder sister, Sakshi Pant. At the age of 12, Pant would travel with his mother to Delhi during the weekends to train with Tarak Sinha at the Sonnet Cricket Academy. He and his mother stayed at a Gurdwara in Moti Bagh as they did not have suitable accommodation in
1376-552: A six in the series. On 11 September 2018, Pant scored his maiden Test century, against England also becoming the second-youngest wicket-keeper and the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England. The following month, he was named in India's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against the West Indies . He made his ODI debut for India against the West Indies on 21 October 2018. In December 2018, during
1462-556: A target of 328 in the fourth innings, scoring an unbeaten 89. In September 2021, Pant was named in India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup . At the annual ICC Awards in January 2022, Pant was named in ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for 2021. In March 2022, during the second match against Sri Lanka , Pant scored the fastest half-century by a batter for India in a Test match, breaking
1548-407: A team as it is but taking all the other stuff away is why everything is so relaxed, calm and enjoyable at the moment." He used the example of bowling at Rishabh Pant when he scored a century at greater than a run a ball, saying "The more we see players like that succeed, the more the negativity around that type of Test cricket will eventually die out because it is so exciting to watch, because cricket
1634-468: A wicket-keeping option meant that Pant slipped down the pecking order. A dismal show in the 2020 IPL season didn't help either. Pant, who had scored a cumulative 1172 runs with a strike rate of 168 in the last two seasons, only managed to amass 343 runs with a strike rate of 113. His only fifty came in the finals in a losing cause. Pant was consequently dropped from the limited-overs team touring Australia in 2020–21 . He, however, kept his place in
1720-652: A win in Rawalpindi on the most docile surface. I don't think any other team in world cricket would have rolled the dice like that." Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting discussed the change brought about to the English Test team commenting on how McCullum had managed to "change the attitude of some of the English players to not be scared about getting out and to be fully committed to thinking about scoring runs and when you get
1806-482: Is StatsGuru , a database originally created by Travis Basevi , containing statistics on players, officials, teams, information about cricket boards, details of future tournaments, individual teams, and records. In May 2014, ESPNcricinfo launched CricIQ, an online test to challenge every fan's cricket knowledge. In September 2021, ESPNCricinfo launched AskCricinfo, a natural language search tool to help in exploring cricket stats. The Cricket Monthly claims to be
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#17328878763631892-408: Is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and StatsGuru , a database of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present. As of March 2023 , Sambit Bal was the editor. The site, originally conceived in a pre-World Wide Web form in 1993 by Simon King,
1978-533: Is an entertainment business. Yes, you want results but you want people to enjoy watching a spectacle. Yes, cricket has always been a spectacle but it's about doing it differently now. So yeah, cheers Rishabh." Cricket writer Huw Tuberville writing in The Cricketer in September 2022 said "I worry that Stokes' batting aggression – CricViz says he attacked 41 per cent of balls this summer compared to 24 per cent in 2019 –
2064-484: Is best known for his consistency to score runs in Test cricket . Pant plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and captained Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League from 2021 to 2022 and in 2024. .Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player of Indian Premier League in the history as he was bought for ₹ 27.00 crore (£2.8 million) by Lucknow Super Giants in Indian Premier League auction 2025.He
2150-486: Is doing at the moment and they're doing it so well. The seed was germinated through the passing of Phillip Hughes. Kerry O'Keeffe , 22 June 2023 One aspect of Bazball is batsmen taking the skills learned and honed playing one-day cricket and transposing them into the longer form, and traditionally slower, Test match game. Tim Wigmore in The Daily Telegraph wrote that the "path to Bazball runs directly from"
2236-477: Is not a sustainable long-term strategy for Test cricket. One concern is that this high-risk approach can lead to frequent batting collapses, as seen in the 2023 Ashes and the England tour to India 2023 . Critics argue that Bazball undermines the balance between attack and defence, making them vulnerable to losing matches they might otherwise have won through a more measured approach. ESPN Cricinfo ESPNcricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo )
2322-442: Is players, especially batsmen, have to go out there and play without fear and that's moved up through ODIs to Test cricket and they're starting to play that way. To me, that's the way everyone should play cricket. When you've got a team that goes out there and backs themselves, they play without fear and it's amazing what you can achieve. With Brendon McCullum coming in, I think he's definitely bought that attitude." Kerry O'Keefe,
2408-419: Is said to have an emphasis on taking positive decisions in attack and defence, whether batting or in the field. Many of these skills and strategies were developed in playing One Day International and Twenty20 matches. Since the inception of the style until June 2023, England averaged a run rate of 4.65 per over, significantly higher than the next highest in Test match history. A faster scoring rate has allowed
2494-470: Is underselling his talents." Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath drew parallels with the style of the McCullum-Stokes England team with his own Australian cricket team of the 1990s , but boosted by the changes brought about by one-day cricket, saying "The team I was lucky enough to play in, we just backed ourselves and played without fear. I think T20, if it's brought anything to cricket
2580-579: The 2016–17 Ranji Trophy , while playing a match against Maharashtra , Pant scored 308 runs in an innings, becoming the third-youngest Indian to score a triple century in first-class cricket. On 8 November 2016, Pant scored the fastest century in the Ranji Trophy , from just 48 balls, in Delhi's match against Jharkhand . In February 2017, Pant was named Delhi 's captain for the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy . He took over from Gautam Gambhir , who led Delhi to
2666-494: The 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final . However, England in the summer of 2022 won all four matches chasing a total in the fourth innings, three against New Zealand and one against India, with those fourth innings chases being 277, 299, 296 and 378 runs. They became the first side in Test history to chase three scores of 250-plus in back-to-back games against New Zealand, and the first England side to ever win four consecutive Test matches batting last. Stokes as captain upon winning
Bazball - Misplaced Pages Continue
2752-502: The 2021 Indian Premier League after the regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the entire tournament due to an injury. He was retained as captain for the 2022 IPL season as well. In January 2017, Pant was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against England . He made his debut for India in the third T20I against England at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore on 1 February 2017. Pant
2838-564: The Sunrisers Hyderabad , making it the then highest individual score by an Indian cricketer in IPL history. He also became the second youngest player to score a century in the IPL. His score of 128 also comprised 68.4% of the teams total, making it the 2nd highest percentage of runs by an individual batsmen in an IPL match . In March 2021, Pant was named the captain of the Delhi Capitals for
2924-462: The first Test against Australia , Pant took eleven catches, the most by a wicketkeeper for India in a Test match. In January 2019, during the fourth Test against Australia , Pant became the first wicketkeeper for India to score a century in a Test match in Australia. In June 2019, Pant was called up to India's squad at the 2019 Cricket World Cup as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan , who suffered
3010-624: The Australian batsman for four overs on the first day. It was the earliest first-innings declaration in Ashes history. It was the fifth time Stokes had declared a first innings in his previous fourteen tests as captain. It moved him equal with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming for the most declarations in test history before the 110th over of an innings, but Fleming had taken 80 matches to reach that mark, and Stokes fifteen. Australia went on to win
3096-569: The Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum partnership was "some of the best Test match series I've ever watched in my life" and that it was in the process of altering the notions and ideas that had been in place since the inaugural Test in 1877, saying "What England have proved this year [2022] is that you can play Test cricket in that [T20] fashion...It's made for unbelievable entertainment. It's created a new level of interest and proved that you don't have to play Test cricket one way, particularly as
3182-668: The Black Caps' traditional conservative approach and underdog mindset." McCullum's tenure as England's coach coincided with a turnaround in the fortunes of the England Test cricket team. The side had won only one Test match in the seventeen played before the hiring of Stokes and McCullum, with previous captain Joe Root "emotionally shattered after leading a struggling side through two difficult years which included multiple tours with testing Covid -enforced restrictions". With no dramatic change to
3268-414: The England batsmen allowed the declaration to be made to suit the conditions with Michael Atherton describing the "boldness" of the declaration as evidence of Stokes' "reputation as a captain unwilling to let the game stagnate or drift". Stokes declared in the opening innings of the 2023 Ashes series after just 78 overs of England's first innings, despite Joe Root being unbeaten on 118, in order to bowl at
3354-605: The England captaincy of Eoin Morgan in the white-ball (one-day) form of the game who had overseen a period of success for England, including victory in the 2019 Cricket World Cup . During Morgan's first summer of captaincy of the England One Day International team he had urged his team to adopt more of the no-fear approach of the touring New Zealand side captained by Baz McCullum. For his part, Morgan told cricket journalist Firdose Moonda of ESPN Cricinfo that cricket from
3440-437: The English summer test matches of 2022 on occasion Stuart Broad would be padded up for the last few overs of the day in order that, if called upon, he could attempt a few late evening blows to accelerate the scoring and cheer the crowd. Broad told Sky Sports that it was in England's first innings against New Zealand on his home ground of Trent Bridge in 2022 that McCullum suggested it to him, somewhat unexpectedly, "I went to make
3526-521: The Test match in Karachi against Pakistan on 19 December, 2022. Broad would make his debut in the nighthawk role on 17 February 2023 in England's second innings in the first test in a series of two against New Zealand. He told BBC Sport that he was lying on the physio's bed when Brendon McCullum walked through the door and said "Hawk, it's time...You're going in next." Changes in English domestic cricket came about in order to encourage an increased prevalence in
Bazball - Misplaced Pages Continue
3612-451: The Test team but did not make it to the playing eleven of the first Test in Adelaide. During this period, Pant was heavily criticized by fans and the media. Disdainful comparisons with Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni were often brought up. There were instances of the crowd chanting "Dhoni! Dhoni!" when Pant made a mistake on the field. India was bowled out for 36 in the second innings of
3698-407: The Wisden Group. The acquisition was intended to help further expand Cricinfo by combining the site with ESPN's other web properties, including ESPN.com and ESPN Soccernet . Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. As of 2023, Sambit Bal is the editor-in-chief of ESPNcricinfo. In 2013, ESPNcricinfo.com celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a series of online features. The website awards
3784-829: The Year at the 2018 ICC Awards . In February 2021, Pant was named the Men's Player of the Month in the first edition of the ICC Player of the Month Awards. In June 2022, Pant was named as the Indian captain for the T20I series against South Africa , after the designated captain KL Rahul was ruled out of the series due to an injury. In the 2025 IPL auction, Pant was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for
3870-658: The annual ESPNcricinfo Awards . On 20 March 2023, ESPNcricinfo celebrated its 30th anniversary by an article from Sambit Bal, its editor-in-chief. ESPNcricinfo's popularity was demonstrated on 24 February 2010, when the site could not handle the heavy traffic experienced after Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar broke the record for the highest individual score in a men's One Day International match with 200*. ESPNcricinfo contains various news , columns , blogs , videos and fantasy sports games. Among its most popular feature are its liveblogs of cricket matches, which includes
3956-418: The ball in your hand to be as aggressive as you can and set nice and aggressive fields." The England bowling unit under Stokes' captaincy has seen him encourage fast bowlers to bowl fuller, not to protect their bowling figures over moving the game forward, and to prioritise wickets over run protection at all times. This has not always been the convention in test match cricket. England off-spin bowler Jack Leach
4042-464: The changing room. It's very forward thinking. All about how to move this game forward". The change in style of play produced immediate results in the summer of 2022. The England Test match side were playing a three-match series against New Zealand and a one-off Test against India to conclude a previous series postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic . The previous summer, India and New Zealand had competed in
4128-414: The city. Sinha suggested Pant switch to Rajasthan to play U-13 and U-15 cricket but to no avail. Pant was instructed by his mentor to overhaul his entire batting technique in the hopes of becoming a better batsman. His turning point came when he was playing U-19 cricket for Delhi against Assam . Pant had top-scored with 35 in his first innings and then hit 150 in the second innings, which he claims
4214-439: The coach and captain, it rubs off on the players in a very positive way. So you're not fearing failure. You're just going out and doing what you want to do." Stokes was quoted as using 'positivity' and 'aggression' which would involve risking defeat if it provides a better chance of winning. An aggressive, high-risk high-reward style was noted with England's leading all-time wicket taker James Anderson quoted as saying "We've got
4300-685: The fastest opening double-century partnership in Test cricket history (181 balls), Harry Brook scoring England's third fastest century of all time (80 balls), and Crawley (86 balls) scoring the fastest ever by an England opener and the fifth fastest overall. The desire to score quickly has been noted to have had an impact on the batting of Stokes himself who on occasion was "one batsman who has, perhaps, taken things too far on occasion... and fallen cheaply." England batsmen have also demonstrated innovation when facing Test match bowlers, such as Joe Root playing reverse-ramp shots against pace bowling, and batting left-handed. On 16 February 2023, fast scoring rates by
4386-406: The fastest wicketkeeper for India to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket. The 2019–20 home season was billed as an important season for Pant with MS Dhoni announcing a hiatus from international cricket. India went into the season in search of a new wicket-keeping mainstay with Pant as one of the front-runners. However, ordinary performances from the left-hander and the emergence of KL Rahul as
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#17328878763634472-467: The final of the previous season. Delhi coach Bhaskar Pillai said it was a "consensus decision" to prepare Pant for the future. On 14 January 2018, in the 2017–18 Zonal T20 League match between Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, Pant scored the second-fastest century in a Twenty20 match, making 100 from 32 balls. Pant was purchased by the Delhi Daredevils ahead of the 2016 Indian Premier League on
4558-594: The first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020–21 and hence lost the test by 8 wickets despite getting a healthy first-innings lead. Following this, Rishabh Pant was picked ahead of Wriddhiman Saha for the second test in Melbourne . While Pant scored 29 in the first innings of the Melbourne Test, it was at Sydney that he played a career-changing knock. With 97 overs to survive on the last day, he played
4644-418: The five days without considering the draw". Cricket writer Chris Stocks identified seven principles of Bazball that could be promoted by a cricket coach in a team environment at the highest level of the game. They are: Stocks quoted veteran pace bowler Stuart Broad discussing the mental side of McCullum's approach when he said: "There's no doubt Baz has had an impact already. It's a very positive language in
4730-477: The life that it deserved. They want to be entertaining. And they've surely done that here in Pakistan." Speaking after his first English summer as England coach McCullum discussed the responsibility to make the game appealing saying "you look at where Test cricket is around the world and how important it is to all of those who have played the game beforehand, and the relevance of it in international cricket. For us, it
4816-430: The most runs on day one of a match was 494 set by Australia against South Africa 112 years previously in 1910. This innings also included England's highest ever total in the first session of a Test (174), Zak Crawley scoring the most runs in the first over of an innings ever by an England player (14), Crawley and Ben Duckett scoring the fastest ever England century opening stand (83 balls), Crawley and Duckett scoring
4902-488: The pitch, it was 2014, Brendon McCullum was captaining New Zealand. He said we are going to play without care, without consequence, because we are going to play every day as if it’s our last and to hell with judgment. Two years later, he scored the fastest Test century in the history of the game, 54 balls against Australia. Bazball is a consequence of Phillip Hughes’ passing. If you detach from consequence and you don't feel judged, you play freely. That's what this England side
4988-472: The players selected, England "against all odds" experienced success: "their bowlers rose to the challenge, taking 20 wickets in six of the seven Test matches, while their batsmen scored at unprecedented pace. England won six of their seven Tests this summer, their second-most in a single season anywhere in the world." Only once (in 2004) had they won more, and in the time since "they had not even matched six wins, let alone bettered it." When Phillip Hughes died on
5074-485: The record previously held by Kapil Dev . He brought up his half-century in just 28 deliveries. In May 2022, Pant was named as the vice-captain of the Indian team for the South Africa tour of India 2022 series. However, one day before the first match of the series, Pant was named as the captain, after India's captain KL Rahul was ruled of the series out due to an injury. At the age of 24 years and 248 days, Pant became
5160-441: The same day he scored a century for India U-19 team in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup , guiding them into the semi-finals. Playing his third game of the season, Pant made 69 runs off 40 balls to help Delhi secure an eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions . In the 2017 season , he scored 97 runs from 43 balls against the same team. During the 2018 Indian Premier League , Pant scored an unbeaten 128 from 63 balls against
5246-571: The second-youngest captain to lead India in a T20I match. In July 2022, in the final match of India's tour of England , Pant recorded his maiden century in ODI cricket scoring 125 runs and remaining not out . In April 2024, Pant was added to India's squad for the T20 World Cup in June, marking his maiden comeback to international cricket following his horror car crash in late 2022. On 30 December 2022, Pant
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#17328878763635332-621: The shot in the arm it so desperately needs." Revitalise was also a word used by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting when he told the ICC Review "So far it has been unbelievable, and it has actually almost reinvigorated Test match cricket again." Former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz was quoted as saying after England played in Pakistan in December 2022: "England can be really proud. They're revolutionising Test cricket. They wanted to give Test cricket
5418-572: The style of play closer to that sought by the England Test match team. Ahead of the 2023 English cricket season it was announced that attacking play would be encouraged in the County Championship , with fewer points awarded for drawn matches and maximum batting points only available to teams able to score at more than four runs an over. In January 2023, England captain Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key, and Brendon McCullum over Zoom , addressed
5504-422: The style which best showcases them with a recognition that batsmen play the best when they can be mentally free. Jarrod Kimber when writing about McCullum's spell as New Zealand captain suggests that this has been a consistent theme for him, with Kimber writing "BazBall was a lifestyle choice...McCullum was just as happy to boost up [wicket-keeper] BJ Watling blocking as he was looking for players to smack it. It
5590-447: The team has bucked the trend of victorious sides of Test matches usually requiring 140 or more overs to win. On 1 December 2022, England reached a total of 506-4 at the end of first day's play in a Test match against Pakistan . These runs came in 75 overs at a run rate of 6.75, an unprecedented rate record in Test cricket. Had England faced the full 90 overs of a day's play at that run rate they would have passed 600. The previous record for
5676-540: The team to declare their innings earlier and seek a result where ordinarily a draw would occur. The name "Bazball" was coined by ESPN Cricinfo UK editor Andrew Miller on an episode of the Switch Hit podcast. This came after McCullum's appointment as England Test cricket coach, in May 2022. McCullum himself has voiced concern that the term can't express the nuances of the England team's approach or his management style. The name, however, has picked up increasing use across
5762-496: The test by two wickets in the dying overs of the fifth day. A component of Bazball is said to be "confusionless cricket", and whilst "attacking all the time is the key, but not attacking blindly is the mantra" with it being "a meticulous approach of never letting the game die and always seeking results." Speaking after England chased a record run-chase in a Test in Nottingham in June 2022 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge , including
5848-521: The top order allowed England to declare their innings on the first day of a day/night Test match at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on a tour of New Zealand , when the evening conditions were perceived to be a better time to be bowling rather than batting as a side. It was the second-earliest declaration in the first innings of a match in the history of Test cricket, and the speed of the scoring rate by
5934-400: The toss began routinely in the summer of 2022 choosing to chase, something which goes against the orthodoxy in Test cricket but is the orthodoxy in limited-overs cricket. Since the inception of the style until June 2023, England averaged a run rate of 4.65 per over. This is significantly higher than the next highest in Test match history - Australia under Steve Waugh at 3.66. This has meant
6020-412: The use of leg slips, three men in front of square, and a back-stop. The Bazball era of English test cricket has seen the team at times eschew the traditional use of a nightwatchman , in favour of a "nighthawk". Instead of promoting a lower-order batsmen late in a day to protect the top order by blocking, the lower-order batter is asked to 'swing for the fences' to score and disorient the opponents. During
6106-528: The vehicle, according to eye-witnesses. The car reportedly caught fire when it collided with a central divider on the road. The incident was reported to have taken place at 5.30am and the car skidded for about 200 metres before hitting the road divider. Some sources claimed that Pant may have fallen asleep while driving. He was rescued by Sushil Kumar, a bus driver, and Paramjeet Singh, a bus conductor, both employees of Haryana Roadways . His injuries would keep him out until his return to competitive cricket in
6192-498: The wicket, conditions need to be respected." Whether the style would bear scrutiny against all opposition has been questioned. Former England opener Geoff Boycott was forthright and scathing in his assessment on the Daily Telegraph ' s Tuffers and Vaughany podcast, saying "If you think you are going to plunder the best bowlers in the world with a new conker when they are fresh then you are an idiot." Critics argue that Bazball
6278-595: The wider cricketing media. McCullum for whom the term is named after also dislikes the name 'Bazball'. He said "I don't really like that silly term ... I don't have any idea what ‘Bazball’ is. It's not just all crash and burn." Baz is derived from Brendon McCullum's longstanding nickname. As a player he was known for his aggressive stroke play, and as New Zealand captain had a highly successful period when he used an attacking approach. This approach, Steve McMorran wrote in Associated Press , meant McCullum managed "to upend
6364-408: The world using CricInfo's scoring software, "dougie". In 2000, Cricinfo's estimated worth was $ 150 million; however it faced difficulties the following year as a result of the dotcom crash . Cricinfo's significant growth in the 1990s made it an attractive site for investors during the peak of the dotcom boom , and in 2000 it received $ 37 million worth of Satyam Infoway Ltd. shares in exchange for
6450-486: The world's first digital-only cricket magazine. The first issue was dated August 2014. Rishabh Pant Rishabh Rajendra Pant ( Hindi: [ɾɪˈʂʌbʰ ɾaː'dʒeːd̪ɾə pʌnt̪] ; born 4 October 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a wicket-keeper batter . Currently, he plays for Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League . Having played all formats for India, he
6536-459: The world. Contrary to some reports, Badri Seshadri, who was very instrumental in CricInfo's early growth, did not become involved in CricInfo until some months after its founding. The site was reliant on contributions from fans around the world who spent hours compiling electronic scorecards and contributing them to CricInfo's comprehensive archive, as well as keying in live scores from games around
6622-592: Was a matter of trying to bring a bit of enjoyment back, try and bring the fans in to make sure they're enjoying Test cricket, and hopefully provide a bit more relevance to a game which has probably been under a little bit of pressure of late. That was the big goal and it will continue to be so moving forward." Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also cautioned against not adapting play to suit conditions, saying that playing on "certain types of wickets, when you try and attack every ball, you will falter. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach. Sometimes, on
6708-571: Was a member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup . He was the vice-captain of the India U-19 team that was runner-up at the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup . He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India in January 2017, his Test debut in August 2018, and his One Day International (ODI) debut in October 2018. In January 2019, Pant was named the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of
6794-424: Was about intent, invention and commitment. He was happy to let them fly and be the best versions of themselves". With the popularity of Test cricket waning in some areas of the world and with some cricket administrators prioritising one-day and Twenty20 versions of the game, Paul Sutton writing for The Roar said "BazBall [could] not only revitalise England's cricket team but also give the game's traditional format
6880-628: Was acquired in 2002 by the Wisden Group —publishers of several notable cricket magazines and the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack . As part of an eventual breakup of the Wisden Group, it was sold to ESPN , jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation , in 2007. CricInfo was launched on 15 March 1993 by Simon King, a British researcher at the University of Minnesota. It grew with help from students and researchers at universities around
6966-487: Was involved in a near-fatal car crash on the Delhi - Dehradun highway near Roorkee . He was cleared of any serious injury and remained stable despite sustaining injuries to his head, back and feet including two cuts on his forehead and a ligament tear to his right knee. He also hurt his right wrist, ankle and toe and suffered abrasion injuries to his back. Pant was initially admitted to Saksham Hospital, near New Delhi, and
7052-751: Was named title sponsor of the Women's World Cup . By late 2002 the company was making a monthly operating profit and was one of very few independent sports sites to avoid collapse (such as Sports.com and Sportal ). However, the business was still servicing a large loan. Cricinfo was eventually acquired by Paul Getty 's Wisden Group , the publisher of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and The Wisden Cricketer , and renamed Wisden Cricinfo. The Wisden brand (and its own wisden.com site) were eventually phased out in favour of Cricinfo for Wisden's online operations. In December 2005, Wisden re-launched its recently discontinued Wisden Asia Cricket magazine as Cricinfo Magazine ,
7138-505: Was quoted as saying "In teams I've played in, the way I've thought – a lot of the decisions are made around negativity...Stokes is going out the opposite way." On the tour of Pakistan in late 2022 Stokes' use of "wacky" fielding positions and bowling changes was said to have helped his side achieve a series victory. The "aggressive field settings and constant tinkering" led McCullum to say that Stokes "is determined not just to drive this team but cricket forward. He seems to have taken captaincy to
7224-464: Was the most important knock in his career. On 1 February 2016, during the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup , Pant hit an 18-ball fifty against Nepal , the fastest at this level. Rishabh's father died in April 2017, due to a cardiac arrest. Pant made his first-class debut on 22 October 2015 in the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy and his List A debut the next month in the 2015–16 Vijay Hazare Trophy . In
7310-412: Was the then youngest player to debut for India in a T20I match at the age of 19 years 120 days. In February 2018, he was named in India's T20I squad for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy . In July 2018, Pant was named in India's Test squad for the series against England . He made his Test debut against England on 18 August 2018. He became the first batter for India to get off the mark in Test cricket with
7396-453: Was transferred to Max Hospital in Dehradun. The MRI scans of his brain and spine indicated they were normal but he was advised to undergo plastic surgery for his facial injuries, lacerations and abrasions. Scans of his ankle and knee were postponed due to pain and swelling. Pant was reportedly driving his Mercedes SUV car from New Delhi to Roorkee (hometown) and was the only person inside
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