Bazball is the name given to England’s attacking approach to Test cricket under head coach Brendon McCullum, who took charge in May 2022. It means batting at a tempo normally seen in white-ball cricket, declaring and chasing aggressively, and treating a draw as a failed result rather than a safe one.
One number carries the whole idea. Since McCullum’s first Test in charge, England have scored at 4.45 runs per over. In the five years before it, they scored at 3.15. No other Test nation in that period comes close to 4.45. Figures complete to 15 September 2026; source ESPNcricinfo.
Four seasons on, the picture is more complicated than it was at the start. England have won 30 of 52 Tests under McCullum, but they were beaten 4-1 in the 2025-26 Ashes, and their scoring rate has fallen in every year since 2023. This page covers what Bazball is, where it came from, and what the record actually says now.
What is Bazball in cricket?
Bazball is an aggressive, risk-accepting approach to Test batting. Where the traditional method is to build an innings slowly and protect wickets, Bazball asks batters to keep the scoreboard moving and put the pressure back on the bowling side, even in situations where caution is the orthodox choice.
The name comes from McCullum’s nickname, Baz, and was coined by ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew Miller during the 2022 English summer. McCullum himself has never much liked the label, but it stuck immediately because it described something that was genuinely new.
In practice it shows up in four ways:
- Scoring rate. England bat at limited-overs tempo. 4.45 an over across four years is the clearest signal.
- Chasing. Fourth-innings targets that would once have been played out for a draw are chased down instead.
- Declarations. England declare earlier than convention suggests, buying overs to bowl the opposition out twice.
- Draws. Only two of England’s 52 Tests under McCullum have been drawn. In the five years before him, 11 of 65 were.
The number that defines Bazball: run rate
Runs per over by every Test nation since McCullum’s first match in charge, 2 June 2022. Complete to 15 September 2026.
| Team | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Drawn | Bat ave | Runs per over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2022-2026 | 52 | 30 | 20 | 2 | 34.56 | 4.45 |
| Australia | 2022-2026 | 42 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 32.55 | 3.65 |
| New Zealand | 2022-2026 | 32 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 34.29 | 3.62 |
| India | 2022-2026 | 39 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 33.99 | 3.57 |
| Sri Lanka | 2022-2026 | 28 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 33.50 | 3.53 |
| South Africa | 2022-2025 | 27 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 29.34 | 3.45 |
| Bangladesh | 2022-2026 | 29 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 27.40 | 3.42 |
| Pakistan | 2022-2026 | 30 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 28.58 | 3.42 |
| Zimbabwe | 2023-2026 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 24.08 | 3.25 |
| West Indies | 2022-2026 | 33 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 24.07 | 3.08 |
England are 0.80 runs an over clear of the next team. Over a 90-over day that is roughly 72 extra runs, which is the practical reason Bazball creates results: it buys the time needed to bowl a side out twice.
Note what the same table says about winning, though. Australia have a better record over the period — 28 wins from 42 against England’s 30 from 52 — while scoring 0.80 an over slower. Bazball is the fastest approach in Test cricket; it is not, on this evidence, the most successful one.
Where Bazball came from: England before and after
The context people forget is how bad things were. In their 17 Tests before McCullum arrived, England won one, lost 11 and drew five. The change was immediate and it is visible in every column.
| Period | Mat | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % | Bat ave | Runs per over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2022 (before) | 65 | 27 | 27 | 11 | 41.54 | 28.99 | 3.15 |
| Jun 2022 – Sep 2026 (McCullum) | 52 | 30 | 20 | 2 | 57.69 | 34.56 | 4.45 |
The first four Tests, which is where the name was made
McCullum’s first assignment was New Zealand, then the reigning World Test Championship holders. England won 3-0, and won all three batting second: by five wickets at Lord’s, five wickets at Nottingham and seven wickets at Leeds, chasing 277, 299 and 296. At Nottingham they reached 299 in 50 overs after Jonny Bairstow’s 136.
They then chased 378 against India at Birmingham in July 2022, winning by seven wickets. Four Tests in, the approach had a name.
Bazball’s biggest innings
Two innings show what the tempo looks like at full stretch, and both came against Pakistan away from home:
- 657 at 6.50 an over, Rawalpindi, December 2022. England scored at better than a run a ball across a completed Test innings and still won the match, by 74 runs, on a pitch that offered the bowlers almost nothing.
- 823 for 7 declared at 5.48 an over, Multan, October 2024. England’s highest total since 1938, made in 150 overs, and they won by an innings and 47 runs.
Has Bazball worked? The year-by-year record
England’s Test record and scoring rate for each year under McCullum. The 2022 row starts from his first match on 2 June.
| Year | Mat | Won | Lost | Drawn | Bat ave | Runs per over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (from June) | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 38.57 | 4.77 |
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 39.72 | 4.87 |
| 2024 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 32.12 | 4.38 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 34.81 | 4.19 |
| 2026 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 29.90 | 4.11 |
Two trends run through it. The first is that the scoring rate has fallen every year since 2023, from 4.87 to 4.11 — still far above everyone else, but no longer the outlier it was. The second is that the winning has levelled off: nine wins from the first ten Tests, then 21 from the next 42.
The hardest evidence against the approach is away from home. England lost 4-1 in India in early 2024 and 4-1 in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia, where their only win came at Melbourne. Ben Stokes has not won an away series against either opponent as captain.
Is Bazball finished?
No. After the 2025-26 Ashes the ECB ran a review and, in March 2026, confirmed that McCullum stays as England head coach across all formats, with Ben Stokes remaining Test captain and Rob Key as managing director. McCullum’s contract runs to the end of the 2027 World Cup.
Managing director Rob Key’s framing was that Bazball is not being abandoned but needs to evolve, particularly against strong opposition away from home. Chief executive Richard Gould said the board believed the group could “adapt and evolve” after the Ashes.
The most recent evidence is better. In their last home series, in August and September 2026, England beat Pakistan 3-0 — by an innings and 103 runs at Leeds, by 194 runs at Lord’s and by eight wickets at Birmingham.
Bazball: quick answers
What does Bazball mean? It is England’s aggressive approach to Test cricket under Brendon McCullum: fast scoring, attacking declarations, and chasing targets rather than playing for draws.
Why is it called Bazball? After McCullum’s nickname, Baz. The term was coined by ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew Miller in 2022.
Who invented Bazball? Brendon McCullum, appointed England Test coach in May 2022, with captain Ben Stokes. The playing style draws on McCullum’s own attacking batting for New Zealand.
What is England’s record under Bazball? 30 wins, 20 defeats and two draws from 52 Tests, a win rate of 57.69 per cent.
How fast do England score under Bazball? 4.45 runs per over, against 3.15 in the five years before McCullum. No other Test nation has topped 3.65 in the same period.
Has Bazball been successful? At home and against most opposition, yes. Away against the strongest sides it has not been: England lost 4-1 in India in 2024 and 4-1 in the 2025-26 Ashes.
Is Brendon McCullum still England coach? Yes. The ECB kept him after the 2025-26 Ashes review, and he now coaches England in all formats under a contract running to the end of the 2027 World Cup.
See also our guides to the rules of Test cricket, how many overs are bowled in a Test and the World Test Championship, plus the story of the Ashes urn.
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates from the world of sports!
Interested in cricket betting? Click here to check out the list of top sites.
Author: William Paul
Featured photo: AFP / ADRIAN DENNIS