A famous quote from Mike Tyson goes something like this: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth".
Cricket is no combat sport but England's approach to Test cricket rates highly when it comes to attacking mindset and fearlessness. That plan, given the name 'Bazball' after their coach Brendon McCullum (who does not like that name, must be said), has sparked a stunning turnaround in England's Test fortunes and delivered incredible success over the last 12 months.
And that plan will most likely face its first serious scrutiny against newly-crowned world Test champions Australia in the upcoming Ashes series.
Pat Cummins's team reached the final of the World Test Championship against India on the back of traditional approach to red-ball cricket. Obviously, it helped that they had Test veterans like Steve Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and others in their line-up.
The Aussies blew India away in the final at The Oval to lift the Test mace, and deservedly so as arguably the most consistent Test side in recent times; they had 13 wins and only five defeats over the last three years .
A team brimming with Test runs, wickets and experience will be the biggest challenge for Ben Stokes's England, who are on a mission to change the way Test cricket is played. Their cavalier style of play – maintaining a high scoring rate and going for victory at all times – has won them many admirers, and matches; England have won nine out of their last 11 Tests which included a historic whitewash in Pakistan. But that could change quickly.
England have asked for hard and fast wickets for the five-match series that starts on Friday in Birmingham. The idea being to help their batsmen score as many runs as quickly as possible so that their bowlers can enforce the result.
That's a good plan, but Australia have a superior bowling attack and their main batsmen are in good form. So what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
England batsmen shatter world record on first day of Rawalpindi Test
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England's Ben Duckett, left, celebrates after scoring a century with teammate Zak Crawley during the first day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Thursday, December 1, 2022. AFP -
England's Ollie Pope also scored a century against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Getty -
Harry Brook became the fourth England batsman to score a century on the first day of the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan on Thursday. Getty -
England's Ben Duckett starred in a double century stand for the first wicket. Reuters -
England's Zak Crawley celebrates after completing his century. Reuters -
Zak Crawley top-scored for England on Thursday. Getty -
England's Ollie Pope, left, celebrates with teammate Harry Brook after reaching his century. AP -
Harry Brook hits a six at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Getty -
England's Harry Brook after reaching fifty. AP -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Zak Crawley. AFP
Former Aussie captain Steve Waugh has questioned whether England have a Plan B if their main approach fails. Fellow great Ricky Ponting believes the win-at-all-cost strategy can fail.
"I think they're trying to find a brand of cricket that they can play that's going to win an Ashes series. It's been refreshing to be honest, to see the win at all cost type of mentality," Ponting said.
"I am really intrigued to see what sort of conditions England want to play that style of cricket. If they have the flatter wickets with smaller boundaries it might just backfire on the bowling group.
"Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson are going to want pitches that offer them something. If they don't have those wickets for their bowling attack, let's see how they go against the Aussie batters."
Sure, Australian captains will talk their side up, but it is true that no team has ever played and succeeded this consistently in cricket's history.
And therein lies the biggest challenge. Stokes and his England teammates have talked about staying true to this mindset. The England captain insists that even though he does not like losing, as most don't, he is looking at the bigger picture.
"Just because I say it's all right to fail, it doesn't mean I'm fine with losing," he wrote in a column for the Players' Tribune. "I hate losing.
"But there's a bigger picture. You have to understand that the only way you ever succeed is by having that liberty to really give it a proper go."
The picture will become clear if Australia bat first on a flat wicket and score more than 400 on the opening day. Then we will know if England are willing to charge ahead full speed even if the road gets bumpy.
