Bazball ends with a whimper to expose emptiness of English men’s cricket | Jonathan Liew

<p>Trent Bridge was not just the end of Ben Stokes’ international career, it was further confirmation that the Bazball project stood for nothing</p><p>By the very end, Trent Bridge was practically empty. This felt bleakly appropriate. If the age of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum lived by re-engaging a sceptical public, winning big series, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/dec/07/ben-stokess-all-conquering-captaincy-marks-daring-england-win-a-true-great">doing the unprecedented</a> and elevating Test cricket above its three-an-over purgatory, then this was exactly how it had to die: the first England team in history <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/29/england-ben-stokes-new-zealand-test-series-defeat-trent-bridge-cricket">to lose a home three-match series</a> after being 1-0 up. The run rate on that final day? Exactly three runs an over.</p><p>But then if we have learned anything from Stokes and McCullum over the last few years, it is that details – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/21/ben-stokes-brendon-mccullum-england-ashes-defeat-australia">like preparing for an Ashes tour</a> – are for losers and weak men. Is demoting Emilio Gay to No 6 in his third game really the best way of saving a Test? Was there a way for Harry Brook to face more than nine balls in England’s second innings? Can we really expect a Brook side – Hazball – to behave any differently? But these questions do not concern the England management, and so by extension they should not concern you either.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/02/bazball-ends-with-a-whimper-to-expose-emptiness-of-english-mens-cricket">Continue reading...</a>