One-off Zimbabwe Test at Trent Bridge the launchpad for a decisive summer for England and their abstemious captain
So where are we up to right now? Still Bazball 2.0? The start of Bazball 3.0? Given Ben Stokes has knocked the grog on the head this year, perhaps it should be Bazball 0.0% ABV.
Although, jokes aside, that recent revelation on one of those man-chat podcasts said a fair bit about Stokes’s nature. Not only has he temporarily paused drinking during his recovery from hamstring surgery but, so taken by this, he has even bought shares in an alcohol-free spirits company. England’s Test captain is someone who, when he sets his mind on something, sees it through to the extreme. Even abstinence.
Written by Ali Martin
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/may/21/england-test-cricket-zimbabwe-bazball-ben-stokes under the title “Bazball’s moment of truth arrives in year that will define era of McCullum and Stokes”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
