In the second Test against the West Indies, Pope scored 121 runs off 167 balls

Ask yourself this question: In recent years, what has been the most trending thing in the world of Test cricket? In our opinion, it is England’s Bazball strategy under the mentorship of former Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum. And what exactly is Bazball? For the unversed souls, it is the idea of scoring runs quickly in Test cricket, an ideology that comes straight from McCullum’s career, who scored 145 runs off 79 balls in his farewell Test against Australia. In short, hit like T20 in Test.

Having won the second Test against the West Indies recently, Ollie Pope said that England’s ruthless approach makes the team capable of scoring 600 runs in a single day in Test cricket.

Could England score 500 or 600 in a day? Ollie Pope is not ruling it out!

Find out more: https://t.co/duqMXr4aXq#BBCCricket pic.twitter.com/LXsvC1vhQj

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 23, 2024

Given England’s rapid evolution in Test cricket, we cannot rule out the possibility of England breaking records in the format. As of now, it is not possible to foresee England’s trajectory, but this is an apt moment to rewind the clock and recall some of England’s ruthless Test victories in recent years.

Whooping Kiwis at Trent Bridge

Remember the first time when the world got to witness Bazball? At the second Test in Nottingham in June 2022, England took on New Zealand, and to win, the Britons required 299 runs in 72 overs—an outland target indeed. However, Jonny Bairstow rebooted the format and scored 136 runs in 92 balls at a strike rate of 147.82, giving England 299 runs in 50 overs. There it was—England and McCullum’s Bazball!

299 runs chased down in just 50 overs.

Was this the most thrilling run chase?pic.twitter.com/YcSNTBZKqz

— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) June 14, 2022

England’s third out of 25

In December 2022, England landed in Pakistan with a poor record of having won only two Test games out of 24 in 61 years on Pakistani soil. Not to forget, more than half the players were sick, and England was not even sure of playing the game. However, they did, and how! The team won the game by 74 runs, but the biggest highlight of the match was England scoring 506 runs on Day 1 in 75 overs. Four English batsmen scored centuries on the same day and made the Test format look like T20. Even though the game did not witness a rain of sixes, the boundary endured over 70 fours.

It's been a year since England beat Pakistan in Rawalpindi after scoring 500+ runs on the first day of the Test 🤯

Can you name all seven players who made a century in the match? 🤔 https://t.co/6ifX8zzhH5 #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/DyQwYhvwbM

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 5, 2023

378 in 76.4 overs

India also fell prey to England’s Bazball strategy on the 2022 tour to England. In the fifth Test, England required 378 runs, and had it been a different opponent, the approach would’ve differed as well. However, England, with its new-found obsession with hitting quickly, chased the target in merely 76.4 overs. Joe Root scored 142 runs off 173 balls at a strike rate of 82.08, whereas Bairstow added 114 runs off 145 balls with a strike rate of 78.62. England won the game by seven wickets, and Bairstow was handed the Player of the Match award.

Highest 4th innings target successfully chased vs India:
378 by England at Edgbaston in 2022
Highest 4th innings target successfully chased in India:
387 by India vs England in Chennai in 2008#INDvENG #INDvsENGTest pic.twitter.com/Pkr7dCkFDQ

— CR17 (@VKBA1856) February 4, 2024

In the name of the Queen

September 2022 marked the demise of England’s Queen Elizabeth, and therefore, the third Test between England and South Africa became a three-day affair. However, England was determined to win the game in honour of their fallen Queen, and therefore, picking wickets quickly became the priority of English bowlers. In the first inning, South Africa scored 118 runs, and in the second innings, the Proteas managed 169 runs. For England’s heavy hitters, chasing the target was a walk in the park.