By Karan Agrawal 
English white ball cricket has been in turmoil since the retirement of arguably their best white ball captain Eoin Morgan with them not making it to the knockout stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup followed by a below par performance in the T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies where the Jos Buttler led side crawled their way to the semi final of the tournament which included loses against test playing nations like India and Australia. The same story has been repeated in the ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy, with the 2019 World Cup winners getting thrashed by Afghanistan and bowing out of the tournament with no wins in two games so far.
Expert’s Corner
A significant dip in England’s white ball performances has made several former cricketers question their motive of playing a certain brand of cricket, which is famously known as ‘Bazball’. The term was coined in 2022 when Brendon McCullum took over as England’s coach in test cricket, which proved to be successful in red ball cricket but took a toll on England’s performances in limited-overs cricket. Former Indian off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took a dig at England’s performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy. “I saw Jos Buttler’s post-match interview (after the Afghanistan game). He was very candid in saying, ‘I do not know what my leadership aspirations are in the future.’ They had a terrible 50-over World Cup in 2023. And now they are out of the 2025 Champions Trophy. They don’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. So, with all that in mind, I think England are at a crossroads.”
The Mindset
England has failed to win a single ODI series since the 2023 ODI World Cup, having lost to Australia and India. Ashwin reiterated the statement that English opener Ben Duckett gave after England’s 3-0 loss in the ODI series against India before the Champions Trophy. In the words of Ashwin, “There was a statement from Ben Duckett after losing the first ODI in India. He said, ‘We don’t care if we lose 3-0 to India. Because we want to beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy.’ “It reflects their mindset. Is it so easy to go to a major competition and win the final?”
“There is no consistent template in your batting. You were marketing and branding Harry Brook as the next generation sensation. But Harry Brook’s game is also sinking. He is now under immense pressure to produce match-winning knocks,” he added.
The Approach
Ravichandran Ashwin was bamboozled to see England’s downfall since the advent of the term ‘Bazball’. “What’s happened with England in this Bazball generation is something that they have to retrospect. Ashwin also alluded to Ravi Shastri’s comments where the former Indian head coach warned England to take subcontinental tours seriously. “Ravi Shastri has given an amazing comment: that England needs to take subcontinental tours very seriously,” Ashwin said.
The Performance
Ashwin was quick to point out England’s lack of success in the subcontinent, saying that the 2019 and 2022 World Cup winners haven’t won any major tournament in asian conditions. “The World Cups England won in 2019 (ODI) at home and in 2022 (T20I) in Australia—they actually haven’t come to the subcontinent and won anything of repute. Teams like Australia travel very well. They prepare well. They perform well. South Africa also prepares. They put in good performances. But England, I still feel, treats subcontinental tours just as a tick box. Has the time come for England to really dig in and think about it?”