“Brendon McCullum is the Alex Ferguson of coaching” – Monty Panesar outlines to-do list for Bazball to graduate into ‘Alexball’

Brendon McCullum himself may not like the term. But Bazball has engulfed Test cricket in such a storm that Collins Dictionary was forced to shortlist it as one of the words of 2023.

England have won 14 of the 23 Tests ever since head coach ‘Baz’ McCullum joined forces with Test skipper Ben Stokes. The success rate so far is maddening. But there is a profound method to the madness. It is not so much about the results. It is the way they have been achieved that is changing the cricketing landscape. Nobody can write them off, regardless of how precariously they are placed. This England Test setup is hope personified.

Dubbing this attacking brand of cricket ‘Alexball’, former left-arm spinner Monty Panesar likened McCullum to the legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

“I think Bazball is actually ‘Alexball’. Brendon McCullum is the Alex Ferguson of coaching. His dominance and the way he’s able to attack in the right moments, get those last-minute goals, always winning. And that’s what Brendon McCullum is. And the longer he’s successful with Bazball, it would become ‘Alexball’. He is following in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson in terms of coaching,” Panesar said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

While England are a force to reckon with at home, they enjoyed a historic 3-0 clean sweep of Pakistan in December 2022. But the first question Stokes had to front after retaining the Ashes last year was the credibility of Bazball to succeed in India.

In the ongoing five-Test series, Monty Panesar wants Stokes and Co. to not deviate from their aggressive brand of cricket, even on treacherous tracks, but also identify guys to play circuit breakers if need be.

“I think Bazball can be successful in India. They just got to stick to their attacking nature, they have got to go that four-five an over, even six an over. And even if they’re losing wickets, they just got to keep at it. If they do get in trouble at some point, they have got to identify the guys that have a strike-rate of 50 and who are the guys who can go close to a 100. They’ve got to be a little bit more calm and calculated. But don’t be surprised if they get 400 just before Tea on the first day of a Test match,” he exclaimed.

The Indian-origin Sikh will keep a close watch on the antidotes Ravichandran Ashwin's ticking brain serve up when his back goes against the wall.

“I’ll be more interested in watching how Ashwin and Jadeja respond to this attacking batting nature of England. Ashwin always keeps reinventing himself and I want to see what kind of things he comes up with when he’s going at six-seven an over,” he added.

Off spinner Ashwin has scalped a staggering 74 wickets across the last three home Test series against England. Left-arm orthodox Jadeja, who debuted in the final match of the 2012/13 series, picked up 26 sticks in 2016/17.

---

“Tom Hartley could be equally dangerous as Axar Patel” – Monty Panesar

Tom Hatley receives his Test cap from former England captain Michael Atherton

The last time India lost a home Test series in 2012/13, Monty Panesar starred with the ball taking 17 wickets from five innings. Another left-arm spinner Tom Hartley made his Test debut in the opening match in Hyderabad today.

Comparing him to Axar Patel, Panesar opined that ‘surprise package’ Hartley might give the Indian batters a run for their money.

“I think left-arm spinners do get more purchase because of the angle they come in and they do get that sharp turn. Tom Hartley is very highly rated in England. He bowls with pace, he comes in from a height. He is similar to Axar Patel and he could be equally dangerous as Axar Patel, who averages 16 in Indian conditions. He could have a fantastic series like that. Especially the non-turning delivery that we’ve seen him bowl in T20 games and The Hundred, I think he could be the surprise package for England,” the 42-year-old told Sportskeeda.

Off spinner Shoaib Bashir has missed out on the first Test due to delayed visa approval. Panesar felt the 20-year-old’s height would have made him a formidable threat.

“I think tall bowlers have more advantage on turning pitches. Because their length is difficult to pick. When you’re slightly shorter in stature, you are going to spin the ball up in the air. But when you are tall, you can actually change the trajectory and also, when you bowl it fuller, the ball bounces more than maybe a conventional spinner.

"So the likes of Bashir – wish he was playing right now – and Jack Leach, that would’ve been a brilliant combination. With his height, Bashir would get more bounce than maybe Ashwin and Axar Patel. Tom Hartley is equally tall and no one knows about him and he may take a bagful of wickets in the first Test,” he elaborated.

The combined experience of Hartley and Ahmed in the longest format is one, while Leach is making a comeback from injury after over six months. Monty Panesar exhorted them to bowl at the stumps, even if carted for runs.

“I’ll tell them to get 30 to 40 percent of their deliveries hitting the stumps and bowl them full. If they keep bowling defensively like outside the off stump, then I think India will find it easier. Even if they’re getting sixes and fours, they should look to attack the stumps,” he urged.

England have opted for just a solitary pacer in Mark Wood. Captain Ben Stokes ruled himself out as an option, saying his fitness is far from what is required for competitive bowling. Does Stokes playing purely as a batter affect the balance of the side?

“I don’t think so. I think he’ll become even better as captain because he’s got that space to think more about his players, the tactics, how he can be more aggressive as a captain. And he’s not like the traditional captains. He’s very aggressive, very positive, very unorthodox in terms of tactics, which gets everyone talking and thinking, ‘Wow! What’s Ben Stokes going to do now?’ And it’s great that he’s doing that because then it gets people interested in Test cricket,” Panesar explained.

Stokes didn’t bowl in the whole of the recent ODI World Cup. The last time he took the ball in Test cricket was in the Ashes game at Lord’s in June last year.

In addition to Wood, the hosts can summon the seam options of Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson and James Anderson. The 41-year-old Anderson is on an astonishing sixth tour of India. Panesar said the hunger to constantly improve might keep the warhorse going even when he is 45.

“I think he’s just skilful. He likes developing his skill, he absolutely loves it. For him, it’s like a puzzle – the harder the crossword, the more he wants to complete it. And he probably wants to go on until he’s 45, because he probably can. And if he keeps his fitness up, he will. But he loves that challenge of ‘Can I keep performing in my 40s like I did as a 25-year-old?’ And I’m sure he can. He’ll probably outperform all the seamers in this Test series,” Panesar iterated.

The Lancashire quick boasts the most wickets (139) in Test matches involving India and England.

---

“If Joe Root scores 20 to 30 percent of England’s runs, they are going to win” – Monty Panesar

Joe Root was dismissed for 29 on Day 1 of the opening Test

Since Sir Alastair Cook put the hosts to the sword, India have lost just three home Tests out of a total 46 played. While two of them came against Australia in 2017 and 2023, Joe Root’s England side scored one in the opening match of the 2021 tour.

Root led from the front with a marathon knock of 218 off 377 balls as Rohit Sharma’s boys fell to a crushing 227-run defeat in Chennai. Monty Panesar announced that the former captain needs to have a big series for England to harbour any hope of winning it.

“If Joe Root scores 20 to 30 percent of England’s runs, they are going to win the Test series,” Panesar, who scalped 167 wickets from 50 Tests, said.

Dealing a big blow to the visitors, middle-order enforcer Harry Brook on Sunday withdrew from the series citing personal reasons. The 24-year-old dynamic batter has recorded 11 fifty-plus scores in a short 12-Test career with four centuries to boot.

However, recalling Brook’s underwhelming returns in IPL 2023, Panesar felt it was a blessing in disguise for England.

“Harry Brook won’t be a miss. I think it makes it a little easier to select the team now. It just gives a lot more clarity about what the top 7 will be and the security for them to go and play at least the next three or four Test matches. I think it’s a blessing in disguise for England. He didn’t do very well in the IPL; he struggles in these turning, slow, low pitches. He’s a much better player with pace and bounce. So it makes it easier for selection. But hopefully, there’s nothing too serious in his personal life,” he remarked.

Contrary to popular opinion, the series scoreline will not define Bazball and its credentials. The onus is on Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes to embolden their troops to stick to Bazball even when the circumstances say otherwise. And that is the real test of Bazball.

---