‘RIP’: Australian media revels in ‘deeply lamented’ death of Bazball after Ashes woe

Mon, 22 Dec 2025

Local media gleefully homed in on English pre-series predictions after Australia retained the urn having played just 11 days of cricket

The sports sections of Australia’s major mastheads were on Monday largely dedicated to ridiculing pre-series predictions of an England Ashes victory, and announcing the end of the tourists’ now-compromised attacking philosophy.

“Bazball is dead”, asserted the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, quoting former Australian opener Simon Katich. The West Australian newspaper fully committed to the theme, mocking up a pronouncement of Bazball’s passing on ye olde parchment, “deeply lamented by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, but basically no one else”.