Australia captain Pat Cummins has brushed aside suggestions that Australia “killed” Bazball after England’s disappointing 2025-26 Ashes campaign. Asked whether the aggressive Test philosophy was now “dead and buried”, Cummins showed little interest in taking credit for England’s struggles.
“Uh, no. Don’t really care,” Pat Cummins said during his press conference ahead of Australia’s upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
The question comes at a significant moment for English Test cricket. The Bazball era has entered a new phase following Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket and Brendon McCullum’s departure as England’s Test head coach. Stephen Fleming has since taken over as Test coach, while Joe Root has returned to the captaincy.
Under McCullum and Stokes, England transformed their approach to Test cricket after 2022, embracing aggressive batting, attacking declarations, and positive decision-making. McCullum’s tenure produced 27 wins, 20 defeats, and two draws. However, England struggled badly towards the end of their reign, losing seven of their final nine Tests.
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The 2025-26 Ashes proved particularly damaging to the Bazball project. Australia dominated the five-Test series, winning 4-1, with England’s campaign ending in another defeat in Sydney. The Ashes had been viewed as a defining challenge for the Stokes-McCullum partnership, but the heavy loss intensified questions about whether England needed to rethink their approach.
The problems continued after the series. Stokes retired following the New Zealand series, while McCullum’s four-year stint as Test coach came to an end. Although his tenure changed the way England approached the longest format, the team failed to win an Ashes series or a Test series in India during his time in charge.
England now has a different leadership structure. Fleming brings extensive coaching experience, while Root’s return as captain adds another layer of change to the Test setup. The key question is whether England will abandon Bazball or simply evolve it.
Cummins, meanwhile, has already moved on from the Ashes. Australia are preparing for their next Test assignment against Bangladesh, with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon also returning to the side.
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England are unlikely to completely discard the principles that made Bazball successful. Aggressive intent, positive cricket and calculated risks can remain central to their identity, but the new regime may introduce greater flexibility based on match situations. Rather than asking whether Bazball is dead, the more relevant question is what its next version will look like. Under Fleming and Root, England have an opportunity to retain the confidence of the Stokes-McCullum era while developing a more adaptable approach to Test cricket.
