Australia skipper Pat Cummins had no interest in dwelling on the death of Bazball when asked about it ahead of the two-Test series against Bangladesh. Cummins was characteristically dismissive when a reporter asked him how Australia could lay claim to having finished England's new era of limited-overs cricket.
“Bazball, it seems, has met its demise. Do you have any thoughts on how Australia could have played a part in putting an end to it and what England's brand of the game will be like from this point forward?” Cummins was asked during his press conference. “Nope, not really”, he replied.
Pat Cummins Keeps Focus on Bangladesh as Australia Begin New Test Campaign
Question: Baseball is dead now. What is the future of English Cricket..??
Pat Cummins: No, I don't really care. 🥶
No one can roast opposition like Pat Cummins.🤣 pic.twitter.com/YsS1hsYDbw
— Hamza Khan (@Hamzakhan17_) August 12, 2026
Pat Cummins was speaking ahead of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Darwin on August 13, which marks the start of Australia's latest Test campaign. Cummins will be reuniting with his other senior teammates in the fast bowling department, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon.
The context of the question was the dramatic change in the culture of England's Test team, which has seen the Bazball philosophy take hold in recent months. After appointing Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as head coach at the start of 2022, England's players have been urged to adopt a much more aggressive approach to Test cricket. This has seen them chase down games that previously would have been batted out to avoid defeat.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over a team that had won just one of its previous 17 Tests, and their positive approach saw them win a 3-0 series victory over New Zealand in their first match as captain and coach.
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During McCullum's four-year tenure as Test coach, England won 27 and drew two of their 79 matches. However, they failed to win an Ashes series or Test series in India during that time.
After a disastrous Ashes campaign, McCullum stepped down as head coach in July, with Stokes announcing his retirement from Test cricket not long afterwards.
England have entered a new era under the leadership of captain Joe Root and new head coach Stephen Fleming, with questions being asked about whether they will continue to follow the Bazball philosophy.
However, Pat Cummins has little interest in the evolution of England's Test philosophy. He is much more focused on ensuring Australia can consolidate their position near the top of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Test Championship 2025-27 table.
Australia currently sit on 84 points and 87.50 percentage points, having won seven of their eight WTC matches so far in the current cycle. Pat Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood will all be eager to contribute to Australia's hopes of winning the WTC, with the trio set to face Bangladesh in the opening Test of their series.
Pat Cummins' comments suggest that, regardless of what happens to Bazball and England's approach to Test cricket, Australia's captain is much more concerned with ensuring his team remain at the top of the WTC table.