599: The next 12 months will decide whether BazBall works, wont it?
·55 min
1. Cricket Badger Podcast 599 is built around England’s next 12 months and the question of whether BazBall will work.
2. The main voices are host James and guests Anand, Neil, and Mark, who debate England, India, Zimbabwe, and selection across Test cricket.
3. The episode asks whether England will be judged by the coming Zimbabwe Test, India’s five-Test tour, and the Ashes in Australia.
4. The first major topic is Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket, which James treats as a major loss for India.
5. Anand splits Rohit’s Test career into two phases and points to his move to opener from 2019 as the turning point.
6. Neil compares Rohit with Usman Khawaja and says Rohit’s overseas numbers make his late-career opening record stand out.
7. The hosts then discuss Rohit’s white-ball style and whether his shift toward hyper-aggression affected his Test game.
8. Neil links that problem to Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler, arguing that white-ball mode can disrupt Test batting technique.
9. England’s batting comes next, with Zach Crawley’s long run in the side contrasted with Ben Duckett’s more settled opening role.
10. The panel says Joe Root has repeatedly covered England’s top-order fragility, especially when he walks out with the score at 12 for 2.
11. Shoaib Bashir becomes a major focus, with Neil saying he can bowl “a golden ball” but may be milked for runs on flatter pitches.
12. Neil argues that Bashir was picked partly to be different, and compares his development to Graeme Swann needing time away to learn his craft.
13. Crawley’s selection is questioned through county and first-class numbers, with the hosts citing his 53 Tests and uneven returns.
14. They contrast Crawley with Duckett, who went away, worked on his game, and returned as a more assured opener.
15. Zimbabwe’s 22 May Trent Bridge Test is discussed as a real test for England, not a formality.
16. Neil names Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, and Sikandar Raza as the key Zimbabwe figures.
17. The episode’s style is conversational and argumentative, with repeated interruptions, corrections, and cricket-stat comparisons.
18. The energy is high but technical, with the hosts moving between Test strategy, county records, and player pathways.
19. Best for listeners who follow Test selection, England-India cricket, and domestic pathways.
20. Skip it if you want short, edited highlights without long cricket debate.
