What Bazball Actually Says About Cricket

English are triumphing in home conditions. So perhaps will Indians

- Anand Vasu

We like to chase. These were the words from Ben Stokes when England won the toss and put India in on a good pitch at Edgbaston.

This is a bit like a batsman saying I like to play 100mph fast bowling directed at the throat. It’s something you want to do, a challenge you want to tak on and overcome, but nobody actually likes doing that. There are few things more difficult than batting in the fourth innings of a Test match. And yet, this England team has now become the first in history to successfully chase 250 or more in four consecutive Tests.

Just go for it approach: Just what has made this possible? To start with, the players have spoken about a clarity of mind. Brendan McCullum taking over as coach of the red-ball team has made an obvious difference. Viewers will remember McCullum’s captaincy of New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand. In conditions that were consistently helpful for the bowlers early on, McCullum’s mantra was all-out, relentless attack with fast bowlers. He was happy to bowl out Tim Southee and Trent Boult early on, even if that left him with very few options at the death in case the opposition did well on the day.