What have England learnt from this Test series? They had the flat pitches that their game demands, they won all the tosses to further facilitate that approach â and yet they had to settle for a 2-2 series result. The series has tamed Bazball.
Their top order remains wobbly â how and why Ollie Pope owns that No.3 spot is a mystery and at first signs of the ball movement, their top order collapses. This wasnât a weak Indian team as the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have been struggling for a long while in Tests, wasnât a handicap, but certainly a team taking its first steps without their identity makers. Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for just two Tests, incidentally England lost both.
In the longer run, when the thrill of this dramatic, albeit mediocre quality of their cricket in several ways, fades out, England should worry. That they wonât is part of the Bazball DNA perhaps; this team if anything is stubborn in nature, which is a good and a bad thing. They wonât drop Zak Crawley, they wonât nudge out Pope, they wonât include batsmen with skills to face the moving ball if the strike rate isnât healthy. All that has worked for them in many ways, but has left cricket a touch poorer.
England captain Ben Stokes offers his verdict on the series đ #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @benstokes38 @SanjanaGanesan pic.twitter.com/1PoI4Kv9n5
â Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 4, 2025
To make Bazball happen, they have had to take life out of the pitches. Their bowlers are run to the ground, too much dirty work is asked of them. That the bowlers have bought into this Bazball-ism is a credit to the charismatic leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. The other day on BBC TMS former England captain Alastair Cook would mention if he were to tell his bowlers these kinds of tracks day in and day out, and chose to bowl after winning tosses repeatedly, there would be some stern faces.
The flat-track bullies then have a swing and the game meanders along towards the final-day finale without a proper contest between bat and ball. All the drama unfolds on the final day because of the match situation rather than any deterioration in pitch to level up the bowling-batting mismatch. This Test at The Oval threw in a bit of curveball with the conditions changing. When suddenly things happen out of script as it did in the last 30 minutes on Sunday evening and on Monday morning when the old ball wobbled around, Englandâs batsmen flail helplessly.
Pope averages just 34 and itâs easy to see why. A more nervous starter than him is difficult to imagine and one whose game doesnât hold up when the ball moves a bit. To length balls straightening outside off, he stabs like he is a juvenile prisoner and against nipbackers he falls over like an old drunk prisoner. Crawleyâs batting is only made for impact â and that too on flat tracks and even then he just averages 31.55 from 59 Tests. Says much.
Englandâs Chris Woakes on day five of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
They had the opportunity to give Jacob Bethell a proper run in this series instead of shoving him in the fag end in a pressure-cooker situation. Jamie Smith has looked pretty decent and is likely to have a long run as wicket-keeper batsman but he and the young guns arenât able to develop their game due to the flat pitches being served up.
No other big team in the circuit loads up the team with batsmen without ability against moving ball, and almost handcuffs themselves to produce pitches where these batsmen can prosper.
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For a while now, England have been talking about how their Bazball has made Test cricket sexy, but itâs a hollow claim. There was a definite thrill to watch them blaze away in the initial year or two, but when the same pattern repeats and takes out the pleasure of watching batsmen cope with good pitches that aid an even contest, it has got a bit boring to watch. Itâs perhaps good for English cricket with the kind of resources they have and the personnel they chose, but to claim that its great for Test cricket for everyone sounds a tall claim.
A win carved in đ¨đŗđĒđĩ. A moment owned by đđđđđ đŽđŗ â¨
Scenes from the commentary box as India do the improbable đī¸#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/nYwGOn5jDx
â Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 4, 2025
As Australiaâs Steve Smith had a pop at the Englishmen, thus: âTheir (England) batters are going to be challenged a little bit differently to the wickets they have had over in England for a while, which have looked pretty flat and good for batting.â
âBoringâ is an adjective that not just the England team but even its commentators and fans wonât use and its usage will be slammed for a âthrillerâ of a series. But this is not a diss on the cricket seen, but a sigh about the kind of cricket quality being missed due to Englandâs methods. Itâs to Indiaâs credit that they sensationally made it a 2-2 result and in such a thrilling fashion at The Oval. But Englandâs Bazball isnât that sexy; the âyoung gunâ Indians have exposed its banality â and cowardice that lies in its soul.
