England's addictive 'Bazball' suffers heavy landing

Second Test, Wellington

New Zealand won by one run

England 435-8 dec & 256

New Zealand 209 & 483

It was perhaps fitting that in the land of adrenaline junkies, England’s thrill seekers came unstuck looking for their latest hit. 

England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum

New Zealand is the birthplace of commercial bungy jumping; falling to the floor from a great height with only an elastic cord tied to your ankles to prevent the inevitable. It’s something England’s head coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum (far right) will probably have done and doubtless enjoyed. 

You can add variance to this practice by going backwards, going with a partner, or going blindfold but the premise remains the same. 

In defeat at Wellington’s iconic Basin Reverse though, England went some way off-piste and asked for too much rope. It was to be their downfall. 

To play ‘Bazball’ you are asked to disregard test cricketing convention and wisdom. Five, six, seven runs required per over? No problem, watch us go. 

However, in this instance, it wasn’t necessarily convention that went out the window, but a degree of respect towards their stoic opponents, not to mention failure to address a couple of elementary issues that laid in plain sight. 

Whether teams should enforce the follow when afforded the opportunity is a debate that will rumble for as long as test cricket is played. 

Skipper Ben Stokes, with a lead of 226 first innings runs, was well within his rights to ask the Blackcaps to pad up again but may quickly have regretted it once the steely resolve of Kane Williamson’s 132 runs in a measured second innings knock changed the dynamic of the contest. 

Then there was the fact that not one of the bowling trio of Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson had trained after the Mount Maunganui victory and ahead of this fixture. Asking, in particular, a 36-year-old and a bloke in his forties, to go to the well again was folly as the seamers snared just a couple of wickets in New Zealand’s second dig. Anderson, notably, failing to claim a scalp for the first time in a long time. 

Aside from personnel, there were also the pitch conditions. Who, in their right mind, wants to chase a fourth innings target – no matter how big or small – on a day 5 track?

You could say that it was a concession Stokes’ opposite number Tim Southee was willing to make as he became the 50th toss-winning captain to choose to bowl in the Windy City. 

However, Stokes’ decision to hand back the initiative from a seemingly winning position and bat last visibly buoyed Southee and his teammates. The home captain’s choice on Day 1 vindicated in an unforeseen and roundabout manner. 

In the end, the Kiwis were allowed to dictate the rapid descent of the visitors much to the chagrin of the flummoxed final wicket, Anderson. 

It’s unlikely that this bump will deter England, more spur them on to greater daredevil antics in the test arena, but it is perhaps a warning that should be heeded ahead of an important summer.