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Why Fleming thinks the Adelaide Test could be the "death of Bazball"
Sam Kosack • December 16th, 2025 4:56 pm
SEN’s Damien Fleming believes this is a defining Test for Bazball as England stare down the barrel of a series defeat in Adelaide.
With Australia up 2-0 heading into the third Test, any result bar three straight English victories will see the Aussies retain the Ashes trophy for the fifth consecutive series.
As if the task wasn’t tough enough for England, Australia will also welcome back captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, while England’s only change is bowler Josh Tongue coming in for Gus Atkinson.
England’s ‘Bazball’ approach - named after their coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum - has come under fire for its oftentimes reckless approach that prioritises quickfire runs over extended innings.
With the series on the line in Adelaide, the future of Bazball could depend on the result of the Test and series, as well as the future of McCullum as coach.
“I'm not sure if it'll happen this series, but it could be the death of Bazball, couldn't it?”, Fleming told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“It's a great brand name, and it sounds exciting, but for sport, you want to win. That's the basic thing.
“You've got to win things and, and this English team hasn't a lot.
“They haven't beaten Australia or India. They haven't qualified for the World Test Championship final, ever. That's got to be the goal of every Test team.
“I can see some big changes off the field for England.
“If they lose 5-0, I think it'll have to happen, and then I think we'll see a shift in the way that they play their cricket.”
“I'm totally confused with their game plan. When Brendon McCullum says ‘we overprepared or we thought we overprepared’, they might have overtrained five days in a row, but they haven't overprepared.
“They needed tour games before the first Test, and they needed to play that Prime Minister's XI.
“The confusing thing for me is when Bazball is really test cricket played, batting, like 50-over cricket.
“So Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Will Jacks, they sort of play traditional Test cricket with their batting, whereas the rest of the team are playing Bazball so I'm a little bit confused.
“Maybe they're a little bit confused with the game plan, but if you play a team that's not totally committed to their game plan in any sport… they're gonna be hesitant, so I fully expect Australia to win this test match, go 3-0 up in the series, and retain the Ashes.”
