Moments before he stepped out to play a typical baseball game, Johnny Bairstow looked into the England dressing room mirror in Trent. Bridge and cheered up a little.
«Jonathan Mark Bairstow today is your day.» When he realized that his teammates had heard him, he added a little flourish. “And this is Mark with a three.”
92 balls later, he hit 132 runs, hit 14 fours and seven sixes, fully announcing the Test cricket revolution in England.
You could argue that Bazball started with a bacon sandwich. Brandon McCallum wants his players to be treated like adults, to be allowed to make their own decisions and think for themselves. On one of his first days on the job, the nutritionist banned bacon sandwiches from the locker room as the team prepared to play New Zealand at Lord's.
Under the old regime, this would have gone unnoticed, as part of the science of sports was trying to help players perform at their best. McCallum, who thought England was suffocating with too much control and too much power from behind-the-scenes staff, he put an end to it immediately. If the players want a bacon sandwich, eat a bacon sandwich.
This was also the day Andrew Miller, editor of ESPNcricinfo, coined the term «Buzzball». Although McCallum strongly dislikes it because he thinks it gives him too much importance, the term has stuck.
When he reached into his Grove golf bag last week, McCallum found a badge placed there by Joe Root. . It said, «Let's play baseball.» It's a running joke on the team.
When you find out what has happened to English Test cricket in the last 12 months, talk to those involved and witness the changes yourself, you'll realize they're going nowhere get away.
The number of hits, fours, sixes, wickets and wins all speak the same. Behind the scenes, McCallum and Ben Stokes put together a team — essentially the same lineup of players — shattered by one 17 Tests win and another terrible Ashes tour, and elevated them to become the talk of cricket and, in a sense, conversations. British sport, referenced by England's rugby and football head coaches Steve Borthwick and Gareth Southgate.
Exclusive and intimate… for a reason
How did they do it? Well, first of all, the county cricket coaches won't know about it anytime soon. At the start of the new year, the ECB emailed McCallum asking if county coaches could join England in preparation days before the Ashes tests. Matthew Mott, a one-day coach, said there was no problem.
For the ECB, this was a natural request that is unlikely to cause problems. But McCallum said no. He doesn't want any new voices or noise around his players. He and Stokes have erected walls around the team, and no intrusions are allowed. Look closely at the balcony on match days. If England are on the pitch, you will see only four trusted managers — Paul Collingwood, Marcus Treskothik, Jeetan Patel and David Saker, the latter of whom was brought to the Ashes mainly because Broad and Anderson think of him so highly. All non-players and coaching staff (except medics) must ask permission to enter the locker room.
the balcony became a more exclusive location under McCallum's direction. Credit: PA/Mike Egerton
On his first day on the job, McCallum sent a WhatsApp message to players and staff. It was called «My Philosophy». He indicated that he appreciates. Its principles are loyalty, diligence and pleasure. He does not like unnecessary chatter, pointlessly long meetings and nonsense. At his first staff meeting at the Marriott in Regent's Park, he was very respectful, but made it clear that you were either with him or not.
Stokes and McCallum spoke to players for about five minutes after their first online session. Stokes used the cricket analogy. As captain, he wanted players to not «grip the bat too tight», so Stokes gave directions but not direction. It was about relaxing, treating adults, and making everything seem natural rather than forced.
“Run towards danger,”
McCallum told the players that he was «not here for a haircut». In other words, he was going to give him everything. He talked about always putting pressure on the bowlers and said they are the best cricketers in England and this is the time of their lives, but added: «Don't do anything that can get you on the front page.» Herald. Most of them had never heard of the New Zealand Herald, but everyone understood.
He cleaned up the outfield before the game started. Everything that needs to be said is done in the locker room. He considers skirmishes on the field as wallpaper made for cameras, and achieves nothing.
«Run into danger» is one of McCallum's favorite phrases, and he first used it at Trent Bridge. Language is critical. He only talks about winning, not losing.
He immediately chose Jack Leach as a player who can doubt himself and needs a pump. McCallum and Stokes often let him have the last word at team meetings at the end of the day. “Lichi, do you have anything?” one of them will say. “We may not be the best, but we will be the bravest,” he said after India's victory at Edgbaston, and the phrase has become a buzzword in baseball.
«If you cross the line, they will fall.» on you '
The previous regime in England used data much more. McCallum is not a big fan. He believes he has enough contacts around the world to call if he needs information about a certain enemy. It's an advantage to be world famous in sports.
Off-field golf is important. McCallum has reduced his handicap to seven since he started, four shots down. But one source said: “There is a perception that it's all about golf and fun, but if you push the limits, they'll come crashing down on you; It doesn't matter who you are, and that matters.» Stokes used his Red Bull contacts to get into the pit lane of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while the team was training in the UAE ahead of the tour to Pakistan.
Several players from England play golf with a low handicap. Photo: Getty Images/Oisin Keniry
Talking to drivers and celebrities on the grid, the older gentleman was eager to chat with the England captain and show him the way. Stokes replied politely, having no idea who it was, and his crewmates were chuckling behind him because they noticed it was Sir Jackie Stewart and knew the captain didn't recognize him at all.
Crowley takes a cigar and smokes. drink after a low score
McCullum is a constant high on positivity. On their first matchday, England eliminated New Zealand for 132 but were seven and 16 behind by the end; instead, McCallum turned on the locker room stereo and was in awe of how Matt Potts bowled in his debut, how interesting it all was, and why they should keep attacking . That evening, in the hotel bar, he told the ECB that it was a great day. «What a day,» he continued, knowing he had to be positive.
Zach Crowley fought harder than most for consistency, and if he got off lightly, McCallum would make sure he had a drink and smoked a cigar. in the hotel bar that night, rather than stew in your room. He sits next to him for an hour in the dressing room after he is not at home.
When England were devastated by a stomach bug on the eve of the Pakistan series and there was talk that the Test would not take place, McCallum was adamant that they would play even if it meant Ben Duckett bowling. “This is part of our journey,” he told the team. They played, scored over 500 goals in a day and won the series 3-0.
Ben Duckett spent a century against Pakistan last winter. Photo: Reuters/Akhtar Soomro
Thanks to him, for the first time, Bairstow felt special, part of the group. When he got out of the Lord on that first New Zealand test of Kyle Jamieson, he was stuck at the border where he could have seen the spell. McCallum told a despondent Burstow that this was exactly the intention he wanted to hear from him. «Do it again» was the message.» A week later, he chatted with Trent Bridge's mirror and smoked an incredible opportunity.
Bairstow was invited to have a barbecue before his home test at Headingley, which was attended by all the players, and those who are there say that Bairstow was perfect host — Bairstow felt important and desirable. Again, he scored a hundred in the match.
Virat Kohli was chasing Bairstow on a sled as he scraped at Edgbaston; in a rage, he scored a brilliant hundred. When will they fucking learn? he said as he left, management liked his confidence.
Bazbol or Benball?
But Buzzball hides the truth. It must be Benball. This is the Stokes team. Insiders call him and McCallum «kindred spirits», but in reality the captain runs everything. He has empathy, but a hint of steel, players know how far they can go with him. He invited his father, Rehan Ahmed, to a team training camp in Pakistan when he was given a baseball cap to show how important playing for England was to his parents, who sacrificed everything to bring a player to this level.
Rehan Ahmed's father attended his son's cap ceremony ahead of his test debut. Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Only once did the bowler explode and disagree with his attack style. Ollie Robinson reacted to being filmed at The Oval when South Africa wagged its tail. There was a bit of tension on the field, but Stokes was glad someone was fighting back. Stokes had always appreciated Robinson and was shocked when the English management claimed he was in poor physical condition in Australia. Stokes believes these conversations are kept behind closed doors, not in public. From Eoin Morgan, he learned that team culture is above all.
He told the bowlers they could play at eight o'clock if they took wickets. The seamers had five misses and in some moments there were no intermediate results. This made batsmen more aggressive towards bowlers like Robinson and he capitalized on wickets. The first 20 balls of the tailers must be short. Aggression is everything.
He told the batsmen that there is no such thing as a bad throw. Try things and if you fail, good. When Joe Root reversed in New Zealand, he was told to do it again.
He doesn't care about other people's opinions. “This is not the Daily Mail team, the Daily Telegraph team, this is our team,” he told the players. He does not listen to extraneous noises, commentators on television and performs his media duties with grace and goodwill, but does not give much away.
The young players have plucked up the courage to piss off the captain. Stokes conceded three goals in a row playing Harry Brook in New Zealand. «What happened there? Don't you follow the ball? Brook said.
Stokes convinced Broad and Anderson to be more aggressive and less conservative. Both would like to be 10 years younger. Broad says that Stokes called him and said he wanted him back on the team as the condition for the captaincy made him feel like a 10 foot tall again.
Stokes takes the lead with the players. He called Geoffra Archer and told him to get home from IPL, he didn't want a medic to do it. He approached Moen Ali about his return for the test. He maintains relationships with those who are not in the team, such as Dan Lawrence, a player who, according to Stokes, can become a future England captain because he sees a part of himself in him. And that's the point. Bazball or Benball won't end up in this mode. It is unimaginable that the next England captain will reverse this process.
Will all this amount to Ash winning, the first since 2015? This will be revealed over the next six weeks, but it certainly gave them a decent shot and it seemed unlikely at the end of the last Ashes series.
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