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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
Batting wickets to short boundaries: Bazball tactics in ENG vs IND Tests
Ben Stokes-led English cricket team is leaving no stone unturned to ensure their success against India in the ongoing five-match Test series. They are coming up with creative methods to gain the upper hand. Before the start of the second Test between the two sides at Edgbaston, Birmingham, boundary ropes were pulled significantly inward—much more than during previous fixtures at the venue. This wasn't a minor adjustment; it was a move aimed at amplifying their ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. In keeping with the Bazball ethos—high-risk, high-reward batting designed to overwhelm opponents and manipulate match tempo—England looked to engineer conditions that would play into their strengths. Also, before the match, it was discussed that Edgbaston is not an easy wicket to bat on as it has historically favoured the bowlers, but when the match began, it was clear the wicket was nothing similar to what it has historically been. This could also be one of the reasons why England chose to chase instead of bat first after winning the toss. The shorter boundaries, aggressive shot-making, and preference to bowl first all pointed to a side that isn't merely reacting to the opposition but scripting the game on their own terms. England's engineered outfield In a move that raised eyebrows and strategic intrigue, match officials confirmed that no boundary at Edgbaston exceeded 71 yards (64.9 metres) from the pitch, with some edges—particularly from the Pavilion to the West Stand—shrinking to as little as 65 yards. These distances sit at the lower limit of ICC regulations, which mandate a minimum boundary of 65 yards and a maximum of 90. Unused space between the ropes and LED boards near the Hollies Stand further exposed the deliberate nature of the adjustment. Though ICC playing conditions require boundaries to remain fixed throughout the game, they also note that pre-match consultations occur between umpires and the "home board"—in this case, effectively the England camp. While not stated directly, the input likely stemmed from captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, with the head groundsman executing the final setup. Asked about how instructions were relayed, Stokes suggested that England simply provide as much information as possible to create conditions aligned with their preferred style of cricket. The psychology of rope length The decision wasn't just about clearing the fence—it was about mental manipulation. A shorter boundary can tempt batters into false strokes, enticing them to go aerial with more regularity. Rishabh Pant's dismissal exemplified the trap: after launching one six, he was baited into repeating the shot and ended up offering a catch to Zak Crawley at long-on. The celebration that followed hinted at pre-planned execution. This is not unfamiliar territory for England. In the 2005 Ashes, similar tweaks were made to boundaries to aid their batters in countering Shane Warne. There were risks, as Australia's big hitters—like Kevin Pietersen—thrived in the same conditions. Pietersen smashed eight sixes off Warne during that iconic series, and Australia had their own say in exploiting shorter square boundaries. Not your usual Edgbaston wicket Historically, the wicket at Edgbaston used to help the pace bowlers with swing and uneven bounce during the first few days of the match, before slowly flattening over time. If there was an overcast situation, it used to be all-out pace for the pacers. But the wicket for the India vs England second Test is nothing like what it used to be, as since the start of Day 1, batters have found it easy to score runs, and as time has passed, it is looking more and more batting-friendly. While we are yet to see overcast conditions during the ongoing match, how the game has played out so far makes it highly unlikely to change the situation significantly. This is also one of the moves the new culture of English cricket is adopting to favour their batting-heavy line-up. Toss logic: Bowling first to chase with clarity Another consistent feature of England's Bazball-era thinking has been Stokes' frequent choice to bowl first after winning the toss—especially in home Tests. At Edgbaston, this trend continued, marking the ninth time in ten home Tests he opted to field first. The rationale behind this move often lies in pitch behaviour and match dynamics. Unlike rank turners or deteriorating fifth-day surfaces that demand setting a target, English pitches typically retain enough life or offer consistent bounce into Day 4 and Day 5. For England, this means backing themselves to chase under pressure, rather than risk collapsing in a third innings against reverse swing or spin.
India Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Jofra Archer returns: What are his numbers against India and at home in Tests?
Jofra Archer has officially been named in England's squad for the second Test against India to be held at Edgbaston on July 2. The Ben Stokes-led side will be in a predicament over whether they should consider the pacer to start in the upcoming fixture, considering he has just come out of a rough patch due to pacer makes his return to the Test team, and if picked to start, will play his first Test since February 2021 when he played against India at question still lingers whether the hosts should consider his inclusion. Former cricketers like Michael Vaughan have suggested against it and wanted him to show he can handle the demands of the longest format by having more domestic games under his belt. He made his return to Sussex to play County cricket for the first time in four years earlier this week. He took part in the recently concluded match against Durham which ended in a draw. He had bowled in the first innings where he had 18 overs under his belt which had 18 maidens and gave away just 32 runs while taking one remains a big what-if whether his body can handle a similar workload across both innings. But England could consider his inclusion as he is one that can swing the ball both ways, can bowl in the high 140s and can be a genuine threat with the short balls as us now have a look at what the numbers suggest:JOFRA ARCHER'S TEST RECORD IN ENGLANDThe pacer has taken part in eight Test matches on home soil where he has taken 30 wickets at an average of 26.86 and an economy of 2.86 runs per over. Even if Archer does not seem to be the one taking the wickets, the economical bowling can be a big asset in the longest format. In fact, this was even missing in the Indian bowling attack which resulted in their defeat at ARCHER'S RECORD AGAINST INDIAThe fast-bowler has taken part in two matches against India, both being away from home. It is fair to say he did not have much luck there, considering he had four wickets across both games and ended up conceding a total of 122 runs in the 35 overs bowled. But his luck could be better considering the English conditions were more suited for the faster thing to consider is his ability to contribute some quick runs with the bat. While he may not be the ideal lower-order batter to have, he certainly has the power to clear the boundary ropes at will, as seen in various instances across international and franchise one of the biggest drawbacks to his inclusion for the second Test will be whether Ben Stokes will be caught up in trying to manage his workload and his own. This could prove to be detrimental to the side, and it would be ideal if the management were given the go-ahead to use him freely. However, that is never the case when it comes to fast bowlers, considering how demanding it can be physically. Nonetheless, it will be a big call taken, and the management will hope that the pacer can find his rhythm and maintain his fitness for an extended period.- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
India hit rock-bottom, slump to an abysmal low to register unwanted first in 148 years of Test cricket history
Jun 25, 2025 11:08 AM IST England secured one of their best wins in the Bazball era, going 1-0 up in the five-match contest on Tuesday. While it was a statement win for the Ben Stokes-led side, with the home team pulling off their second-highest successful chase, India hit an embarrassing all-time low with the five-wicket loss. India's captain Shubman Gill, third left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of England captain Ben Stokes on day five of the first cricket test match between England and India(AP) India scored a total of 835 runs in the Leeds Test match, their third-highest figure in a single game in England and the biggest in 11 years. The total comprised five centuries across the two innings, two of which belonged to vice-captain Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were the other centurions in the first innings, while KL Rahul notched up his triple-figure score in the second innings. The knocks, if nothing, did end all the apprehensions about the Indian batting heading into the series opener in the wake of the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, their charges proved futile as England chased it down comfortably. After nearly nullifying the first innings in Leeds, falling short of the mark by just six runs, after a century from Zak Crawley and a knock of 99 from Harry Brook, England clobbered 371 runs with five wickets in hand to complete their second-highest chase in history. Incidentally, their best-ever chase, of 378, also came against India, in 2021 in Birmingham. As a result, India became the first side in 148 years of test history to lose after witnessing five centuries. They went past the previous low of four such knocks by Australia against England in 1928/29. Moreover, 835 also became the fourth-highest total in a losing cause, the second-highest against England after 847 by Pakistan in 2022, and the highest for India. India will aim for a comeback in the second Test match, beginning on July 2 at Edgbaston.
News18
24-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Ben Duckett Creates History, Becomes 1st England Opener To...
Last Updated: Duckett crossed the 100-run mark by hitting Ravindra Jadeja for a four on the fourth ball of the 39th over of England's second innings. Ben Duckett entered his name in the history books on Tuesday (June 24) by becoming the first England opener to score a century in the fourth innings of the World Test Championship match. Since the introduction of the WTC in July 2019, England has played a total of 66 matches, but no opener before Duckett managed to cross the 100-run mark in the fourth innings. In fact, the last England opener to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test match was Alastair Cook. Cook achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2010. He remained unbeaten on 109 runs in the second innings of that match. Duckett, who scored 62 runs for England in the first innings of the Leeds Test, has hammered 14 fours so far in the second innings and has added 181 runs in 40.5 overs for the first wicket with Zak Crawley (59 runs from 121 balls). The century on Tuesday is Duckett's sixth 100-plus score in the five-day format of the game, and he now has two Test centuries to his name against India. Duckett has scored a total of 992 runs in 20 innings of 19 matches played so far across formats in 2025, and if he manages to score at least 8 more runs in the ongoing match, then he will become the first batter in the world to score 1000 runs in international cricket this year. Duckett has played two Test matches for England in 2025, and in the first match as well he scored a century for the Ben Stokes-led side. The left-handed batter from Kent would like to convert his century into a big one on Tuesday and help England successfully chase down the target of 371 runs and win the ongoing first Test against India at Headingley in Leeds. In the last Test played between India and England in England, the Poms chased down the target of 378 runs in 76.4 overs for the loss of three wickets. Former Test captain Joe Root and wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow scored unbeaten centuries for the Poms in that fixture to help the Ben Stokes-led side get the better of Jasprit Bumrah and Co. by 7 wickets at Edgbaston in Birmingham. First Published: June 24, 2025, 19:13 IST
News18
24-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
378 By ENG To 339 By AUS: Highest Successful Run Chases In Tests Against India
Last Updated: Only one team in the last 93 years has managed to successfully chase down a target of more than 350 runs against India in Test cricket. India posted a total of 364 runs in their second innings on Monday (June 23) to set a target of 371 runs for England to chase down in the fourth innings of the ongoing first Test at Headingley in Leeds. In the 590 Tests played so far by Team India in the last 93 years, only once has a team successfully managed to chase down the target of more than 370 runs against India. The feat was achieved by the Ben Stokes-led English team in the last Test played between the two teams on English soil. India faced England in the rescheduled Test of the 2021 series at Edgbaston from July 1 to 5 in 2022, and riding on unbeaten centuries from Jonny Bairstow (114) and Joe Root (142), England chased down the target of 378 runs in 76.4 overs for the loss of three wickets. The second highest total successfully chased down against India in Tests is 339. In 1997, during the red-ball match played at WACA Ground in Perth, Australia chased down the target of 339 runs in 87.2 overs for the loss of eight wickets. No. 3 batter Tony Mann scored 105 runs in the second innings, and No. 5 batter Peter Toohey hammered 83 runs from 140 balls. The highest total chased down against India in red-ball matches played at home is 276. The feat was achieved by the West Indies in 1987 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. For England, Ollie Pope scored 106 runs in the first innings, and Harry Brook amassed a total of 99 runs. The duo will be key batters for the hosts in the second innings as well. England 117/0 at lunch on Day 5 England finished the fourth day's play of the first Test in Leeds at 21 without loss in six overs, and their openers—Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley—added 96 more runs to the team's total in the morning session of the fifth day's play without losing any wickets. Duckett completed his second half-century of the ongoing match in the first session, and Crawley was batting on 42 runs at the end of the first session.
