Bazball or bust: England unlikely to blink despite Perth pounding

MELBOURNE :While England have ample time to sift through the rubble of defeat in Perth, the tourists are unlikely to come up with a new game-plan to replace 'Bazball' for the second test against Australia in Brisbane.

Like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Brendon 'Baz' McCullum has never been one for a U-turn - as cricketer, captain or current England coach.

Long before he unleashed England's Bazball revolution he staked his reputation on attacking instinct, first as a pugnacious wicketkeeper-batter and then as the captain who dragged New Zealand into a first World Cup final in 2015.

He set the tone for the Black Caps by going hard from ball one – and in the biggest game of all he went hard again, only to be bowled third ball by a Mitchell Starc yorker.

New Zealand duly crashed to defeat by Australia, but 10 years on McCullum's convictions remain unchanged.

In Ben Stokes he has a kindred spirit and trusted confidante, a captain who dominates the dressing room and has nailed his colours firmly to the Bazball mast.

Reining in the aggression would require Stokes himself to turn away from a philosophy he has fully bought into for three years.

'UNFORGIVING WALL OF AUSTRALIAN REALITY'

England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.

They were 2-0 down to Australia on home soil in the 2023 Ashes after losing the first two tests but dominated the rest of the drawn series, even if the urn eluded them again.

For all the criticism raining down on England after the two-day mayhem in Perth, they had the game in