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613: Ashes 2025/26 - Did BazBall die during the second Test defeat in Brisbane?

·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

Azeem calls England’s Ashes prep a “massive told you so” and says they live in “delusional land.”

1. Cricket Badger Podcast episode 613 focuses on England’s Ashes 2025/26 collapse after the second Test defeat in Brisbane. 2. James, Azeem, and Lucas drive the discussion, with James hosting and Azeem and Lucas offering England and Australia perspectives on the 2-0 scoreline. 3. The episode asks whether BazBall has failed under pressure, especially after six days of cricket across two Tests. 4. Azeem says England’s project was always judged on beating Australia in Australia, not on isolated wins elsewhere. 5. He describes the mood around the team as a “massive told you so” and says people have been living in “delusional land.” 6. James links the current side to years of British cricket fear, bravado, and belief in phrases like “backing players” and “express yourself.” 7. Lucas says the average Australian sees BazBall as “a flop” and calls the touring side “cocky” for thinking Australia would roll over. 8. The hosts discuss preparation, including Brendan McCullum’s line about there being “too much training” and Ben Stokes saying the team must train the right way. 9. James questions why honest conversations were not happening 12 or 18 months earlier, given that the Ashes had been a two-year target. 10. Azeem argues that Ben Stokes contradicted himself, blamed players for missed plans, and helped create the approach that produced the errors. 11. The discussion gives Zach Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook as examples of players operating inside a system with little consequence. 12. James says Harry Brook can look like a player going at “150 miles an hour” when the game required a slower tempo. 13. Azeem says Brook has been “slogging” rather than batting and argues that batting at number five has made it too easy for him to attack without responsibility. 14. The episode also covers the idea that England are being praised for basics, such as Will Jacks and Ben Stokes “batting normally” and putting a price on their wicket. 15. Lucas explains that Australia’s plan has been to bowl top of off stump, deny easy scoring, and wait for England to give chances. 16. James and Lucas say Mitchell Starc has adjusted his lines instead of hunting middle stump, using England’s shot-making habits against them. 17. The tone is argumentative, fast-moving, and openly frustrated, with repeated interruptions and back-and-forth between the three speakers. 18. The format is a reactionary panel chat with tactical points, selection criticism, and leadership arguments rather than a formal interview. 19. Fans tracking the Ashes, BazBall, and England selection debates will get the most from it. 20. Listeners wanting neutral match summaries without strong opinions may skip it.

As heard by us

A bruised Ashes debate with proper cricket detail and little appetite for polish.

This Ashes episode lands on a simple point: England look like a side that has misread the series badly. The chat stays on the bad loss, selection calls, Australia's bowlers, and the familiar ways England keep backing into trouble.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Ashes autopsy after England's night went badly.

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