England chased down 371 in 82 overs with five wickets to spare.
England men’s cricket team added another feather to their Bazball ideology under captain Ben Stokes as they demolished India in the series opener at Headingley. They chased down 371 on the fifth day comfortably with five wickets to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
This was the highest successful run-chase at Headingley, beating the previous best of 359 – the famous Ben Stokes madness in the 2019 Ashes. Starting the fifth day on the overnight score of 21-0, the opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley put on a 188-run stand.
Duckett went on to deliver a sensational knock of 149 before Joe Root and Jamie Smith navigated a tricky period to steer them over the line. With their biggest threat, Jasprit Bumrah, expected to miss a game or two, this was a vital victory for the home side.
England put up a fine show to win the first Test by five wickets.#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/Fucxz79xp6
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 24, 2025
Since Brendon McCullum and Stokes took over the reins, England have a great record while chasing. At home, they have batted second in 14 games and have lost only once. They have won 10 of these games while chasing in the fourth innings. England have chased down 250 or more in the fourth innings on six occasions under Bazball.
Normally, they have been pretty brutal in these chases, playing highly attacking cricket. Who can forget them mowing down 299 against New Zealand in just 50 overs? Or when they chased down 378 against India in 76.4 overs at Edgbaston in 2022.
However, there was something different about the recent Headingley hammering. There was an air of calm amidst the chaos. It was Bazball 2.0.
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When England adopted this new, ultra-aggressive approach, it met with scrutiny. This mindset of playing a highly risky brand of cricket has its downsides, as England lost their way on numerous occasions.
There has been constant criticism of Bazball, with some sections not leaving an opportunity to tear it down. But the approach has undoubtedly been a massive success. Apart from the entertainment aspect, it has made England a significantly stronger side. Bazball utilises their players’ strengths on a higher scale.
But they have lacked something in the past three years. Controlled aggression. With their composed display at Headingley, they have unlocked Bazball 2.0, perhaps a more dangerous version of themselves.
The Shubman Gill-led India were at the receiving end of this version on the fifth day of the Headingley Test. Apart from losing Duckett and Harry Brook on successive deliveries to Shardul Thakur, at no point did England look in trouble. This was as clinical a run-chase as it gets.
The morning of the fifth day had overcast conditions, and it was a tricky period. A couple of early wickets would have swung the game in India’s favour. But Duckett and Crawley dug in deep. They didn’t slash at deliveries outside off or look fazed by the run-rate.
#BenDuckett’s brilliant 149 set the tone for England’s highest successful chase at Leeds and their second-highest in Test history.
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 24, 2025
👉 Relive the innings that turned the tide in the 1st Test : https://t.co/MhwlN52U7s#ENGvIND 👉🏻 2nd TEST | WED, 2nd JULY, 2.30 PM on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/1uRcpT5vRE
The pair was willing to bide their time. England’s first fifty came off 99 balls. By far their slowest in the Bazball era. Duckett was 25 off 50 at one point before he changed gears. He reached fifty off 66 deliveries – his slowest in Tests. Crawley, on the other end, was even more cautious. He brought up his fifty off 111 balls. His slowest Test fifty as well. It was unusual to see two extremely aggressive batters clamp down on their natural game to not let Bumrah and co. run through the top order.
Duckett changed his tempo once set and punished Indian bowlers. He ended up with a stunning 149 off 170 deliveries. A strike rate of 87.64. It was a masterclass in chasing and knowing when you need to respect the conditions and when to attack.
Later, when they needed 69 runs with five wickets in hand, Root and Smith avoided playing any high-risk shots. Smith was caught on the boundary in the first innings while playing a pull shot a few deliveries before the new ball. He looked more composed in the second innings before finishing the game in style.
Bumrah bowled 19 overs in the innings, and England managed not to give him any wickets after his magnificent five-for in the first innings. England’s measured approach meant the visitors didn’t have many opportunities to break the game open. If they can maintain this balance, England will be an even more dangerous batting unit.
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