The sky’s the limit for England as Ben Stokes’ ‘Bazball’ team turns Test cricket upside down

We are living in an age of wonders, at least with regard to the England men’s cricket team.

Habitual losers just six weeks ago, they have now won four Tests in a row against vaunted opponents. But if that wasn’t achievement enough they have done it by chasing large totals in the last innings of the match, breaking records and subverting convention in a blaze of belief and bold batting strokes.

In their latest smash and grab they swept aside India at Edgbaston, chasing 378 runs for the loss of just three wickets with unbeaten centuries from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, two cricketers enjoying breathtaking form. It was a remarkable performance but part of a sequence that had already seen them overhaul totals of 277, 299 and 296 against New Zealand. Test cricket without limits.

It helped that the pitch against India remained true and England’s opponents seemed conflicted over who was leading them (their old captain Virat Kohli or their stand-in Jasprit Bumrah). But even so, the audacity and near presumption that chasing a record number of runs (for England) was a foregone conclusion shows just how far Ben Stokes’ team have travelled in a very short space of time.

So what has changed? After all, these are mostly the same players involved for the past 18 months and who won just one Test in 17 under the previous regime of captain Root and coach Chris Silverwood.

Well, a new coach, Brendon McCullum, was appointed along with a new captain, Ben Stokes, and a new director of cricket, Rob Key.

So, the three main pillars are all new with fresh perspectives and from that has stemmed a dynamic culture of entertainment, fun and not fearing the consequences of defeat.

‘Think bigger than results,’ Stokes said on Tuesday. ‘We want to