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‘Bazball’ has already left its mark on the early rounds of the County Championship but is it the way forward for the counties? 

Modest crowds are forming, players are wearing woolly hats to combat the chill and rain delays - it can only be the return of the County Championship. 

For traditionalists old and young, the start of a new county cricket season is something to be celebrated.

This year, however, the long-standing competition is getting a shake-up in order to rejuvenate the divisions. 

‘Bazball’, the newfound style of the England Cricket Team under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum is here to create excitement and breathe new life into matches. 

The 2023 edition of the County Championship has, so far, seen a shift in mentality from some counties towards one in line with that of England’s Captain and Head Coach – play exciting, brave cricket, and try and create a spectacle by forcing a result, whether it be a win or loss.

Above - England Captain, Ben Stokes and Head Coach, Brendon McCullum, the two people credited with inventing ‘Bazball’. 

(Credit – Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

It is, for some, a welcome change to the way the County Championship has been played over the past few years, encouraging adventurous playing styles, strategy and developing a positive mentality. This is a far cry from the sometimes-leisurely manner that the competition has been played in; moving from game to game, without the excitement or intrigue that white-ball cricket has garnered over the past decade or so.

“It’s changing what we know about red-ball, longer-format cricket and hopefully having a knock-on effect for the players, teams and everyone involved” says former Somerset Captain, turned journalist, Vic Marks. “I think it’s important we embrace it as the way forward if we want to succeed internationally. It cannot just be the players involved in the England setup that play that way, all county players must buy in to the idea too. That way, the players themselves will have more chance of an England call up and the Championship as a whole will be a more exciting watch.”

Whilst those players involved in the England squad cannot be the only ones pushing forward the ‘Bazball’ ideology, they can certainly be the ones leading others, teaching them its methods, and encouraging them not to be afraid to lose if they have shown the intent.

Nottinghamshire displayed perhaps a performance most in-line with ‘Bazball’ in their recent loss to Middlesex at Lord’s, no doubt thanks to the input of Ben Duckett and Stuart Broad, two players at the heart of Stokes’ line-up. Despite controlling the match from the outset, Notts declared with a lead of 249 in a rain-affected match, believing they could bowl Middlesex out in just 40 overs. 

It was an ambitious target set by the side from Trent Bridge and one they would, however, fail to achieve as Middlesex reached their target with one over remaining, though Notts had tested them, removing six wickets before the home side secured victory. 

Above - Two ‘Bazball’ players, Ben Duckett and Stuart Broad batting for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex at Lord’s in the County Championship.

Despite the loss and annoyance, it was exactly the type of bravery that would delight the England Skipper – Notts made a decision to try and force a result and create a spectacle, echoing Stokes’ remarks “We don’t do draws.” 

Broad himself took pride in his team’s efforts, taking to Instagram to say, “We dangled a generous carrot in the aim to get a result in a match nailed by the rain. It didn’t go our way but if we at Nottinghamshire keep playing the cricket we’re playing we’re in for a season full of fun, entertainment, growing positive cricketers for the future & points on the board.” 

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The sentiment echoed by Broad encapsulates the whole implementation of ‘Bazball’ into the County Championship. Results and points will come for counties if they play positive, aggressive cricket and whilst that may be a priority for some, they are also helping to reinvigorate the Championship by creating exciting games to watch as well as exciting cricketers – they are winning in other ways. 

Richard Church, Financial Director at Somerset CCC, believes that First Class cricket needed to be made more exciting in order to draw more fans in to watch the games. Speaking at the advent of his club’s season, he stated, “Red-ball cricket is in need of something to inject a bit of life into it. We see One Day matches and T20 games are sell outs here, so if we can get the same sort of match where a result is guaranteed, it might entice supporters to come in. Most of the time, County Championship games finish on a weekend, so it’s possible we can see fans in to watch the climax of a game – we just need there to be something to watch.” 

A small crowd watches a County Championship match at Durham in contrast to white-ball matches which are traditionally full. 

(Credit – Mark Pinder)

‘Bazball’ isn’t just about creating future success for England, it’s a way forward which can, if implemented correctly, become a success for every county, both on and off the pitch. 

The England and Wales Cricket Board, alongside the County Championship, have taken the correct steps so far to encourage this style of play, awarding fewer points for matches that result in draws (five, down from eight) as well as promoting quick-scoring batting by upping the first batting bonus point to 250 runs from 200. 

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The result of these changes has been seen at both individual and team level, with players such as Ollie Pope freely scoring for Surrey at The Oval and Dan Mousley putting on an impressive display for Warwickshire which included several boundaries. Lancashire too, quickly scored 554 at the County Ground in Taunton, dictating the tempo and putting them in a comfortable position to play aggressively in the rest of the game with the ball. Whilst these scores seem limited to a specific game or player, it is the overall state of county cricket in England which is benefitting. For years, play has been too pedestrian, destined for a draw that could have been predicted from the end of the first day. Now, because of this change in mentality, those games appear on the decline with exciting matches producing impressive players and thrilling endings – something that should make those modest County Championship crowds bigger and bigger.