A TIMES, GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH AND WATERSTONES BEST SPORT BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Gripping’ Roger Alton, Sunday Times
The inside story of how England transformed the way Test cricket is played.

After one win in 17 by the start of the summer of 2022, England needed something new. For 145 years, Test cricket was played mainly in one way: batters laid a foundation before daring to attack – and, even then, only if circumstances were favourable. Bowlers tried to bowl maidens, calculating that they would eventually force an error. But the old ways weren’t working.

Then came ‘Bazball’, driven by new head coach in Brendon (‘Baz’) McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. What followed was one of the most thrilling revolutions in any sport, as a rudderless and ridiculed England Test team became – almost overnight – cricket’s most talked-about phenomenon. They embarked on a brand of Test cricket that breathed life into an ailing format, breaking records as they went on to win 11 out 13 Tests before taking on world champions Australia in a dramatic Ashes contest that ended 2–2.

Lawrence Booth and Nick Hoult, two of the game’s most respected writers, had a ringside seat for all the action. Their book will reveal how Bazball swept the England dressing room and transformed the team’s fortunes. Told via a mixture of interviews with the protagonists and insights gathered by the authors during their own close-up reporting, Bazball is an unmissable read. As Rob Key said after he appointed McCullum: ‘Buckle up and get ready for the ride.’

Two of England’s best cricket journalists tell the gripping story of how England embarked on a new brand of Test cricket -- Roger Alton * Sunday Times *
Lawrence Booth and Nick Hoult are ideal witnesses to this unfolding drama -- Michael Henderson * Spectator *
Authoritative . . . a fascinating read, and confirms and enhances the reputations of both its authors -- Martin Chandler * Cricketweb *
The popular image of Bazball is that it means T20 cricket in the five-day game. The analysis by two of cricket’s most experienced journalists delivers a much more subtle and meaningful definition . . . this is a thoroughly enjoyable read -- Richard Lawrence, Association of Cricket Statisticians
Entertaining . . . Bazball is not just timely– this summer’s Ashes series plays a major role; there is also impressive context and insight into the main characters * Observer *
This excellent account of the Stokes-McCullum revolution is a welcome opportunity to recall the remarkable triumphs enjoyed by the England Test team over the last couple of years -- Simon Evans * Choice *
Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, this is an excellent Christmas present for any England supporter -- George Dobell * Cricketer *
For those of us who . . . love the game to distraction, this book will feed and water us. It’s a work of journalism by journalists, to be sure, but done with such thoroughness, style and love for the game that it certainly qualifies as an early history of a revolution in its infancy. Will Bazball endure? I haven’t a clue, but whether it does or not, this book might -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *
Bazball is about the radical transformation of the England Test Cricket team by its new coach . . . A much maligned English institution transforming itself to become innovative, exciting, and world-leading? Bazball may have a thing or two to teach the Church of England! * Church Times: Favourite Books of 2023 *
Bazball [details] the revolution in English cricket brought about by Brendon McCullum * Telegraph: The Best Sports Books of 2023 *
Bazball is a superbly sourced account of how Ben Stokes and Brendon “Baz” McCullum reinvented Test cricket, revving up a 145-year-old format from a stately amble into an intoxicating, risk-taking, headlong sprint . . . Here’s how and why Bazball took conventional cricket wisdom and whacked it out of the ground * The Times : 13 Best Sport Books of 2023 *
An enjoyable romp through a purple patch of English cricket that culminates in one of the greatest Ashes series of all time. A winter tonic for the current World Cup blues * Guardian: Best Sport Books of 2023 *

Lawrence Booth has edited the last 12 editions of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, and has won awards for his work with the Daily Mail, including the SJA’s coveted Scoop of the Year prize. Nick Hoult is chief cricket correspondent of the Daily Telegraph and was voted Cricket Journalist of the Year by the SJA in 2020.