Michael Henderson

Has Bazball rescued — or ruined — cricket?

Thanks to Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, English Test cricket has been revolutionised – at the expense of the gentle, contemplative game

Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum during a nets session at Old Trafford last year. [Alamy] 
issue 21 October 2023
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  • Bazball: The Inside Story of a Test Cricket Revolution

    Lawrence Booth and Nick Hoult

    Bloomsbury, pp. 340, £22

The date 6 June 2021 was a grim day for cricket. As the world was adjusting to life after the pandemic, a Lord’s Test with a full house felt like ‘the promised kiss of springtime’. And so it was, until the final afternoon, when New Zealand challenged England to make 273 in 75 overs.

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