Boozeball or Bazball? The hangover of wannabe cricket Ultras reduced to ashes

New Delhi: The Bazballers arrived on Australian shores with plenty of noise, wrapped in bravado and belief, armed with soundbites about fearlessness and a self-appointed mission to save Test cricket -- a cause they have gone gaga over for the past few years. But the aura has thinned. The defiance feels rehearsed. Australia have done what they have done to almost every visiting side -- barring India in 2017–18 and 2020–21 -- strip away the noise, test the method, and grind it down to its barest truths.

This was not a clash of philosophies; it was a reality check.



England swung hard, spoke louder, and clung to conviction even as conditions, quality, and context caught up with them. England's Bazball didn’t just lose the Ashes in 11 days; it lost its credibility. The idea still survives, loudly defended by its believers, but the illusion of invincibility is gone. And once that disappears, cults are forced to confront the hardest question of all: what remains when faith turns to failure?

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Eight weeks into this Ashes, the Bazball philosophy lies bruised on the mat, sobered and unmistakably exposed. Australia is not an easy place to win. The scoreline is unforgiving at 3–0, and after Day 1 at the MCG, there appears to be no end to England’s suffering. Twenty wickets fell on a frenetic opening day, but it was the home side who emerged on top with a sizeable first-innings lead of 46 runs.

England have been under intense scrutiny since landing Down Under, with several former greats -- including former captains Michael Vaughan, Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott -- publicly questioning Brendon McCullum’s side and its preparation for the series.

There had been genuine optimism ahead of the tour that England might finally end their 14-year wait for an Ashes triumph in Australia. Instead, history repeated itself. England once again fell short, extending their winless run on Australian soil to 18 Tests. That number may well reach 19 by the end of the week.

Individually, two of England's modern day greats - Joe Root and skipper Ben Stokes - have never won a Test in Australia. Overall, Root has lost 21 Ashes Tests and Stokes 17.

England have also drawn attention during the tour for their off-field activities. The team was first spotted playing golf in Perth both before and immediately after their two-day defeat in the opening Test.

Following their eight-wicket loss at The Gabba, the 'Bazballers' then took a pre-arranged mid-series break in Noosa. Players were seen relaxing with drinks and a casual kickabout on the beach. In the aftermath of the third Test, the BBC reported that England’s players had been out drinking for six days following the second Test.

During England’s 4–1 mauling at the hands of Rohit Sharma’s young Indian side a couple of years ago, former England captain Nasser Hussain had remarked: “At times, Bazball in this regime has been described as a cult where you cannot criticise, either within or externally.”

That mindset has been one of the cornerstones of Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership since they took charge in the summer of 2022. No finger-pointing, only good vibes. Crusty old quotes from former players, media and critics are ignored, irrespective of results. Winning, as has been said repeatedly, isn’t even the most important thing.

Bazball may sound like a novel idea in modern cricket, but it finds precedent in the world of club football -- particularly among the Ultras. The term refers to supporters whose loyalty crosses into fanaticism, defined by uncompromising devotion to their teams.

Their history has often been marred by violence and gang rivalries, giving the movement a bloodstained reputation. Yet the intensity of their support is such that Ultras, usually stationed behind the goals, wield real influence, commanding the attention of players and club hierarchies alike. Trophies matter, but what truly defines an Ultra is the disciplined, almost militaristic backing of the club through success and failure.

Take the example of Berlin’s top clubs. Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin, shaped on opposite sides of the Wall, carry a more understated identity than Germany’s global powerhouses Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. There were even periods when Berlin lacked a top-flight club altogether. Still, beneath the surface, the city’s football culture has remained vibrant and deeply entrenched.

“If you want to define culture as being about success, titles, numbers and industry, f**k off. Then you have to go to Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund,” rapper Liquit Walker, a lifelong Union Berlin fan, once told Copa90. “But if you want to see real culture, real football culture, this is the place to be.”

Much like football Ultras, the Bazball movement has found loyal supporters -- particularly among sections of the media and former cricketers, who have sold the idea as though cricket has been reinvented.

But cricket can never be football. No matter how it is packaged, the Bazball idea is falling flat, and its accompanying arrogance has only made matters worse.

Take Alastair Cook, England’s hero during the 2010–11 Ashes -- the last time they won in Australia. Cook scored 766 runs. In India in 2012, another rare overseas triumph, he made 562 runs. Substance, not slogans, defined those victories.

But Stokes has famoulsy said that even England’s greatest past players might not have survived in the current regime. They went all in on the cult of Bazball and initially found the backing of fans to flourish. But in recent weeks, Australia -- a side Stuart Broad had labelled the “weakest since 2010” — have outplayed England in every facet, despite not fielding their best XI in every Test.

This England side, like many cults before it, is beginning to fracture. The Bazballers, once tipped to be invincible, appear closer to their reckoning.



Former England captain Mike Atherton captured it succinctly in his column for The Times: “The biggest fascination for me about ‘Bazball’ was always whether ‘no-consequence’, carefree cricket could hold up under the fiercest pressure… The answer, clearly, has been no. The harsh realities of professional sport have resurfaced and swamped them.”

So far, this Ashes for the Bazballers has been defined by golf, beaches, booze -- and batterings.


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