English cricket is a notoriously fickle business, and never more so than in the past few years. There is a huge amount of talent in the England test team, but the old adage still stands that it’s not summer until the first English batting collapse of the season. This summer arrived with expectations even lower than normal as the team had won only two of its previous 17 test matches.
The previous leadership team of Chris Silverwood as head coach and Joe Root as captain enjoyed some success, including a series win in South Africa, but a drubbing in India and subsequent losses to India (even at home) last year took the shine off the partnership. Then an abject Ashes series in Australia, losing 4-0, put the final nail in their coffin. The Ashes famously take their name from a satirical obituary published after England’s first ever defeat by Australia at the Oval in 1882. The rivalry with Australia matters a great deal to England fans, and failure even to compete will not be tolerated for long.
In fact, perhaps worse than the results was the sense that England’s cricketers had got into the habit of losing. Once they lost a couple of wickets, there was a sense of inevitability that they would collapse pathetically. Often the exception was captain Joe Root himself. There is no doubt that he is a world-class talent, with the mental toughness to stick it out through rough patches and build formidable scores. Somehow, though, he failed to communicate that quality to his teammates. He and Silverwood could not find a way to break out of the defeatist mentality that too easily took hold of the team. Root began to look haunted, his natural ebullience suffocated by the pressure of captaining a losing side.
So here’s the twist. Three matches later, there is a brand new feel-good factor around the England team. The brand has been transformed. Suddenly, this England team can collapse with the worst of them, and go on to win anyway. They never seem to believe it’s over. Any total is reachable, even when the history books suggest it’s impossible.
And that transformation has happened with the same players, on the same pitches and in front of the same crowds. What’s changed is the leadership team and it’s approach to the game.
The partnership of Ben Stokes as captain and New Zealander Brendon McCullum as head coach has been hailed for the swashbuckling spirit they have instilled in the team. So-called ‘Bazball’ brings the attacking style of limited overs cricket to the test format. Having allowed India to build a huge lead in the delayed final test of last year’s Covid-affected series this summer, England should have been battling for a draw at best. Instead, they chased their improbable fourth-innings target of nearly 400 with ease.
It's been quite a turnaround.
Joe Root remains England’s finest batsman, and is flourishing under the new leadership. Chris Silverwood is now head coach of Sri Lanka, and recently led them to a famous victory over Australia. So why did their leadership let down England? Because they allowed that leadership to be defined by events. Poor performances and poor results were allowed to become part of the identity of English cricket.
Ben Stokes and Brandon McCullum changed all that by coming in with a clear sense of how they would do things differently. They refused to be defined by the past. Whether Bazball really is a new kind of cricketing philosophy or just a label for the feel-good factor almost does not matter. The point is that the players believe in their leadership, and consequently in themselves. The new broom is more transformative than the reverse sweep.
Leaders in other fields could do well to learn the power of a clear new vision to help bring about lasting change.
English cricket is a notoriously fickle business, and never more so than in the past few years. There is a huge amount of talent in the England test team, but the old adage still stands that it’s not summer until the first English batting collapse of the season. This summer arrived with expectations even lower than normal as the team had won only two of its previous 17 test matches.
The previous leadership team of Chris Silverwood as head coach and Joe Root as captain enjoyed some success, including a series win in South Africa, but a drubbing in India and subsequent losses to India (even at home) last year took the shine off the partnership. Then an abject Ashes series in Australia, losing 4-0, put the final nail in their coffin. The Ashes famously take their name from a satirical obituary published after England’s first ever defeat by Australia at the Oval in 1882. The rivalry with Australia matters a great deal to England fans, and failure even to compete will not be tolerated for long.
In fact, perhaps worse than the results was the sense that England’s cricketers had got into the habit of losing. Once they lost a couple of wickets, there was a sense of inevitability that they would collapse pathetically. Often the exception was captain Joe Root himself. There is no doubt that he is a world-class talent, with the mental toughness to stick it out through rough patches and build formidable scores. Somehow, though, he failed to communicate that quality to his teammates. He and Silverwood could not find a way to break out of the defeatist mentality that too easily took hold of the team. Root began to look haunted, his natural ebullience suffocated by the pressure of captaining a losing side.
So here’s the twist. Three matches later, there is a brand new feel-good factor around the England team. The brand has been transformed. Suddenly, this England team can collapse with the worst of them, and go on to win anyway. They never seem to believe it’s over. Any total is reachable, even when the history books suggest it’s impossible.
And that transformation has happened with the same players, on the same pitches and in front of the same crowds. What’s changed is the leadership team and it’s approach to the game.
The partnership of Ben Stokes as captain and New Zealander Brendon McCullum as head coach has been hailed for the swashbuckling spirit they have instilled in the team. So-called ‘Bazball’ brings the attacking style of limited overs cricket to the test format. Having allowed India to build a huge lead in the delayed final test of last year’s Covid-affected series this summer, England should have been battling for a draw at best. Instead, they chased their improbable fourth-innings target of nearly 400 with ease.
It's been quite a turnaround.
Joe Root remains England’s finest batsman, and is flourishing under the new leadership. Chris Silverwood is now head coach of Sri Lanka, and recently led them to a famous victory over Australia. So why did their leadership let down England? Because they allowed that leadership to be defined by events. Poor performances and poor results were allowed to become part of the identity of English cricket.
Ben Stokes and Brandon McCullum changed all that by coming in with a clear sense of how they would do things differently. They refused to be defined by the past. Whether Bazball really is a new kind of cricketing philosophy or just a label for the feel-good factor almost does not matter. The point is that the players believe in their leadership, and consequently in themselves. The new broom is more transformative than the reverse sweep.
Leaders in other fields could do well to learn the power of a clear new vision to help bring about lasting change.
