Bazball’s moment of truth arrives in year that will define era of McCullum and Stokes

So where are we up to right now? Still Bazball 2.0? The start of Bazball 3.0? Given Ben Stokes has knocked the grog on the head this year, perhaps it should be Bazball 0.0% ABV.

Although, jokes aside, that recent revelation on one of those man-chat podcasts said a fair bit about Stokes’s nature. Not only has he temporarily paused drinking during his recovery from hamstring surgery but, so taken by this, he has even bought shares in an alcohol-free spirits company. England’s Test captain is someone who, when he sets his mind on something, sees it through to the extreme. Even abstinence.

What then of the team that has lived and breathed the Stokes fumes these past three years? After something of a white-knuckle ride, and a few external grumbles about their chiefly gung-ho approach, 2025 pretty much represents the moment of truth: five Tests at home to India and then five away in Australia, with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe that starts in Nottingham on Thursday serving as the launchpad.

Does this risk over-egging it? After all, Brendon McCullum extended his contract as head coach last summer, expanding it to include the white-ball sides and the 50-over World Cup in 2027. The next edition of the World Test Championship will not even be halfway done by the end of the Ashes and there is a T20 World Cup early next year for Harry Brook, the new limited-overs skipper, to sink his teeth into. In theory, Rob Key’s Baz-project is intended to go far longer.

But then if the history of English cricket tells us anything – and a reminder came only last winter with the women’s team and a bloodbath in Australia that forced a change of captain and coach – it is that these things tend to operate in accordance with the Ashes cycle. Whatever iteration of Bazball this is, its place in history – and a few jobs in the set-up – will likely be defined by the Test results over the next nine months.

Rewind to 2022 and, as per Stokes, the players were initially told to simply “cause some chaos”. The subsequent win-loss graph has had more than a touch of bitcoin about it but right now it looks pretty healthy: the most recent update of the ICC Test rankings has shaved off the final results of the previous period under Joe Root and Chris Silverwood and has England in second place. It makes sense, too, with 22 wins and 12 defeats in this time a ratio that only Australia, in first, have bettered.

View image in fullscreen Ben Stokes has not turned out for Durham this season and is still working back to full fitness. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA

Unlike four years ago, when Silverwood spoke openly about India at home being used to “galvanise” the team before that winter’s visit to Australia (and saw the words blow up in his face), Stokes and McCullum are trying to play it cool before the ascent. On Wednesday Stokes acknowledged the significance of the year ahead, spoke about the No 1 ranking being an aim, but stressed that all the focus is on Zimbabwe and a Test match that, even cut to four days, has been 22 years in the making.

Seeing the tourists lose to a team of rookies last week did not point to a stiff workout, with the bookmakers making England heavy favourites. And so what performances in this match mean is tricky to place, with Stokes heavily hinting that Jacob Bethell, the breakout star in New Zealand last winter, but currently at the Indian Premier League, will come straight back into the side to face India regardless. The question – and one Ollie Pope would probably like to know the answer to – is where?

Pope is still the vice-captain, said Stokes, but he will also be aware that, while Bethell’s stock was shooting up, his own appeared to be on the wane. Equally, with Bethell said to be open to, err, opening, it may be that Zak Crawley is also looking over his shoulder and something of a bat-off with Pope is taking place this week. The difference, however, is that Pope’s numbers against India and Australia drop off compared with his overall record, while Crawley’s have grown during his last two outings against them. Runs against Zimbabwe might not change the internal perception.

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Perhaps more relevant to the next 12 months is how the fast bowling stable holds up and this week a pretty green England attack takes the field. Sam Cook makes his Test debut – stellar domestic numbers and injury to Chris Woakes opening the door – and will share the new ball with last year’s breakout quick, Gus Atkinson.

Then there is a return for Josh Tongue after an 18-month injury ordeal, offering pace, movement and an awkward angle. With Brydon Carse approaching full fitness and Woakes about to make his county return – but Mark Wood out for the summer and Jofra Archer out for four weeks with a hand injury – an oversupply here would be welcome.

Plenty comes back to Stokes, however. Having not turned out for Durham this season, this week is as much about the captain’s bowling and bridging the gap between training fit and match fit. If needs be, Stokes will also play for the Lions against India A next month. When the hamstring tore for the second time last winter, Stokes was in defiant mood, declaring he would “fuck shit up” the next time he took the field. That moment has arrived but it may be that, initially, temperance is the way to go.

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