England’s ODI Team Faces Setback as ‘Bazball’ Influence Grows

Ravi goes nuts for Jaiswal “stunner” | 00:43

Brendon McCullum’s tenure as England white-ball coach has gotten off to a shaky start, with the British media already sharpening their knives ahead of this month’s Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan.

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On Sunday, India sealed the ongoing ODI series against England with a four-wicket victory in Cuttack, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match campaign. It comes after England suffered a 4-1 T20 series loss the previous week.

Following the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia, England has struggled across both white-ball formats, with Jos Buttler’s men losing 15 of their 22 ODIs since the start of the 2023 World Cup in India where they failed to defend their title after being knocked out in the group stage.

Australian Matthew Mott lost his job as England white-ball coach following last year’s underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies, with Test mentor McCullum taking over in a dual role. However, pundits are already questioning whether the New Zealander has bitten off more than he can chew.

“In the two-and-a-half years since (Eoin) Morgan’s retirement, the white-ball set-up has regressed so badly it is obvious that there will be no quick path back to the promised land,” i’s Chris Stocks wrote.

“When he started the job last month, McCullum was meant to offer positive change after two years of failure. Change may be afoot, yet his famous front-foot philosophy that is meant to give players the freedom to play their best cricket has yet to land. It may take time for the message to sink in.

“Yet on the evidence of his white-ball reign so far, this England team looks set for a tough few weeks in India and Pakistan.”

In the aftermath of last week’s ODI loss in Nagpur, The Guardian’s Barney Ronay described England under Bazball as a “death cult”.

“England are, on the numbers, suddenly terrible at cricket. And terrible in a way that feels uniform and on-message, the first fruits of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Bazball multiverse,” Ronay penned.

“England are still stacked with talent. But they do also keep losing, and losing in a way that is interesting both in its unified tone, and because in many ways it really doesn’t seem to matter that much.

“England are still out there operating without restraint, still losing games, still talking bulls***.”

Ronay also argued McCullum’s aggressive approach is “unsuited to white-ball cricket”.

“When McCullum was appointed white ball coach it was assumed he would be really good at this because he whacked it years ago and had managed two franchise teams. He also hadn’t been involved in a white ball game for three years, and this format evolves at breakneck speed,” he continued.

“The ability to adapt, to tweak, to get a handle on detail will be key if England are to flip their current form.”

Elsewhere, former Test bowler Steve Harmison argued England has “no real plan B” if boundaries aren’t flowing, comparing the ODI team’s recent struggles to that of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.

“We keep making the same mistakes,“ Harmison told TalkSport.

“This isn’t about personnel; it’s about decision-making. You’re not playing against tinpot bowlers now. These are some of the best in the world, and you can’t just run down the pitch and hope for the best.

“We’re not batting smart enough. Some of these dismissals today were just reckless. You’ve got to earn the right to play expansively.“

England captain Jos Buttler and Mark Wood. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty ImageSource: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Forbes’ Tim Ellis criticised England’s talented batters of wasteful dismissals and poor match awareness

“It would be inexcusable for England to fire blanks with this talent pool, but their in-game intelligence has been found wanting,” Ellis wrote.

“Common sense could take a running jump. England are here to blitz and provide ‘watchable’ cricket for the ages. That’s hard to do when the top order insist on premature exits with 40 overs still left.

“Every time something good threatened to happen on a decent pitch, England found a way to punch themselves rather than the opposition.”

Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior echoed those sentiments on TNT Sports: “The tools are all there. We know how talented the squad is and the team is, but you’ve got to go out and execute your plans on the field.

“For me, you could tell they haven’t played 50-over cricket for a long time. There were just sloppy mistakes and it was just a bit lacklustre. For England, the talent is there, the ability is there, but they just need to sharpen up in a number of areas.”

The third ODI between India and England gets underway in Ahmedabad on Wednesday at 7pm AEDT, while England’s first Champions Trophy clash is against rivals Australia on February 22.

“This is not how we want to play,” England captain Buttler said after the second ODI.

“We want to put the opposition under pressure and keep the momentum going as long as possible. That has been the same through the T20s, as well as today.

“We need to play better for longer, we need to execute our plans better, and when we get momentum and the opposition under pressure extend that for longer.”