England suffered a humbling defeat for the first time under the leadership of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, swatted aside by 434 runs by India in Rajkot.
After falling 2-1 down in the five-Test series, there have been suggestions far and wide that England’s approach, dubbed ‘Bazball’ in a nod to McCullum’s nickname, needs to be refined.
Here, the PA news agency looks at whether England need to overhaul their philosophy.
What is Bazball?
The first thing to know is McCullum himself dislikes the word, which he feels oversimplifies what he and the rest of the backroom team are trying to do. Most cricket fans associate the term with an attacking style, especially when batting. But England and McCullum stress what they are trying to do is instil positivity and confidence into their players, taking the fear of doubt and failure away so they can achieve their maximum potential. The results have yielded 14 wins from 21 Tests after just a single victory in 17 previous attempts, while near enough every match has been a blockbuster occasion.
What’s the problem?
They are perhaps a little too impulsive and occasionally guilty of overlooking the match situation. In response to 445, England were on 224 for two inside 40 overs with Ben Duckett shellacking a depleted India attack – Ravichandran Ashwin briefly left the Test to tend to a family matter – to all parts. But the out-of-touch Joe Root took what seemed an unnecessary gamble in the first few minutes of day three with a reverse ramp, England collapsed to 319 all out and India never looked back. There was a near-identical missed chance against Australia at Lord’s last year which helped Pat Cummins’ side retain the Ashes. It appears England are not learning from their mistakes and harsh lessons have followed.
What has been the reaction?
England have come in for widespread criticism on social media. Ashes 2005-winning captain Michael Vaughan wrote on X that this latest setback should act as a “wake-up call”. Nasser Hussain, another former England skipper, said in the Daily Mail that “tweaks” to their philosophy should be considered, adding: “Bazball is not attack, attack, attack. Occasionally, you must absorb pressure.”
Will England pay any heed?
There is no need to chuck the baby out with the bathwater. It is worth remembering that India have not lost a Test series at home since 2012. The sides led by Sir Alastair Cook in 2016 and Joe Root in 2021 when arriving with more orthodox impulses had forgettable tours; indeed, England have arguably done better than the last two visits already. It was barely three weeks ago that England engineered one of the finest wins in their history in Hyderabad and it appears England fans may have to get used to taking the rough with the smooth. McCullum gave the strongest indication there would be no change of tack, saying: “The positivity and confidence within the environment needs to remain.”
So, more of the same, then?
On the surface, England present a bullish outlook with little regard for outside noise. It is telling that whoever speaks after play is adamant that England are happy to chase down any score in the fourth innings – they have been successful in eight of a dozen attempts. But all may not be as it seems, for after the Lord’s debacle last year, England knuckled down, struck the right balance and were the better team for the last three Tests. Conditions may be completely different now as was then but there is reason for hope as the sides head for Ranchi and the penultimate Test, starting on Friday.
ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.
Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.
Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.
Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.
Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.
"Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].
"We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.
"You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.
"We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."
West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance
England lost three wickets in a dramatic end to day one of the third Test against West Indies, leaving them in a precarious position after restricting the tourists for 282.
Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 4-67, while Chris Woakes took 3-69 for England, as only a fine sixth-wicket stand from Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva saved West Indies from being bowled out for a much lower total.
But England, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash, let their dominant position slip when taking up the bat for the final 35 minutes, Zak Crawley (18), Ben Duckett (3) and Mark Wood (0) being dispatched as bowler Jayden Seales dropped them to 38-3.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, leading his side to a solid start before a spell of three wickets in five overs before lunch put England on top.
Atkinson accounted for Mikyle Louis (26) and Alick Athanaze (2) on either side of Wood sending stumps flying with a full delivery to dismiss Kirk McKenize for 12.
Brathwaite's knock of 61 was brought to a halt shortly after the action resumed, the captain gloving Wood's leg-side ball to Jamie Smith as the tourists slid from 76-0 to 115-5 in 45 balls.
Holder (59) and Da Silva (49) then shared 108 to drag the Windies towards a respectable total, but things looked bleak for them when the latter feathered Woakes' ball through to Smith.
Having gone 30 overs without a wicket, England needed just 14 more to polish off the tail, the highlight being a terrific diving catch from Joe Root to send Gudakesh Motie (8) packing.
England were given just over half an hour with the bat to cap Friday's action, but any hopes of a serene finish were soon dashed.
Holder made two terrific catches off Seales' bowling, the first from Crawley's thick outside edge and the second to dismiss Wood for a duck, either side of Alzarri Joseph's cracking delivery accounting for Duckett.
That spell ensured what had been a good day for the hosts ended on a sour note, with the Windies sure to target quick wickets when the action resumes on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Atkinson and Seales dominate
This series began with all the focus on James Anderson as England's greatest-ever bowler bowed out at Lord's, but Atkinson has taken centre-stage since making his Test debut in the opening match and now has 20 wickets through five innings.
That is eight more than West Indies' Jayden Seales, the next-most prolific bowler in this series, has managed.
Seales was determined to have an impact on day one, though, and his two wickets at the death have set the stage for a far more competitive match than those England won at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
Bairstow set sights on swift England Test return
Jonny Bairstow bit back when asked if he was targeting an England return, insisting it is "all I want to do."
Bairstow was dropped from England's Test team for the ongoing series against West Indies.
The 34-year-old was part of England's T20 World Cup squad, and played in all five Tests of the tour of India earlier this year.
Bairstow has made 100 Test appearances, and when asked what his immediate target was, the wicketkeeper-batsman told former England captain and now-BBC Sport pundit Michael Vaughan: "All I want to do is play for England. That's end of.
"You don't need to ask me that do you? I think you know me well enough and I think you've known me for long enough to know that."
Bairstow did, however, enjoy a break away from the game, having had four weeks off before he joined the Welsh Fire for the Hundred.
He said: "At the same time it's been a great period of time.
"I had the best part of seven months away from home. Since January, I had five nights at home in my own bed since, until three weeks ago.
"That's the thing you have to sacrifice, time at home but at the same time, when you are away for that period of time, it takes its toll."
England are 2-0 up against the Windies in their three-match series, with the final Test starting at Edgbaston on Friday.
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