The date 6 June 2021 was a grim day for cricket. As the world was adjusting to life after the pandemic, a Lord’s Test with a full house felt like ‘the promised kiss of springtime’. And so it was, until the final afternoon, when New Zealand challenged England to make 273 in 75 overs. The gesture was recognised as generous by all except the faint souls in the England dressing room, rendered frit by the possibility of defeat. Thousands of spectators, bewildered by five hours of fearful prodding, withdrew their consent.

With ‘the Hundred’ looming like a pirate’s galleon, caution was inexplicable. A heavily promoted competition of 100 balls a side, it was being marketed as a sop to teenagers, who found ‘red ball’ cricket a bind. And here was an England team, which appeared to endorse that view, refusing to engage with opponents who wanted to turn a bore-draw into a contest.

Joe Root, a princely batsman, was a dull captain. Chris Silverwood, the coach, was overparted. The following spring, after one victory in 17 Tests, Root stood down and Silverwood was sacked. That is where this book starts, for Bazball is a tale of restoration.

Ben Stokes, Root’s successor, is a Siegfried of the crease, who has forged a reputation out of slaying dragons. But the real jolt was the recruitment as coach of the former New Zealand captain, Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum. The two cavaliers were offered a clean slate by Rob Key, the Test team’s managing director, who told them to banish fear.

McCullum duly waved his wand, and England walloped New Zealand 3-0. Then they beat South Africa, and won three matches out of three in Pakistan. So hopes were high for the Ashes contest this summer against a capable Australian team. That series was drawn 2-2 after England fought back from two losses, but it felt like a victory, for Bazball had (almost) been vindicated.

The coach doesn’t much care for the term that takes his name. He prefers the time-honoured virtues of taking 20 wickets, hitting bad balls to the boundary and holding catches. A bit more of that would have served his players well against Australia, when they were betrayed by their dash for Shangri-la.

Had they selected Ben Foakes of Surrey, their best wicketkeeper, England would certainly have won the first Test, at Edgbaston, and might have won the second, at Lord’s. Jonny Bairstow, preferred as gloveman, endured two shockers, as the tourists charged into a 2-0 lead. But Foakes, poor chap, is ‘old school’, and Bairstow is the glee club’s top chorister, whose explosive batting lit the fuse last year. No England team had ever played with such abandon, and if there was a touch of recklessness this summer, the boldness emphasised that Test cricket is a prize worth Bazzing for.

Lawrence Booth, the editor of Wisden, and Nick Hoult, the chief cricket correspondent of the Telegraph, are ideal witnesses to this unfolding drama. Having spoken to all the participants, from Harry Brook, the cheeky new bug, to James Anderson, England’s record wicket-taker who has entered his 42nd year, they report that everybody stands behind Baz and Ben.

A significant commendation comes from Stuart Broad, who pulled stumps in August after taking a match-winning wicket with his last ball in Test cricket. He struck the final ball he faced for six, too; something we shall hear about when he slips into his new life in the commentary box. Fearless, let-me-at-’em Broad had always played Bazball.

For a long view it is instructive to hear Michael Atherton, now an excellent writer and commentator, say that when he joined the Test team in 1989, a day’s play of 230 for three was considered to be about right. In Pakistan last winter, where Atherton once batted all day for a century, England thrashed 657 in 101 overs.

The McCullum bounce is about much more than belting a ball around a meadow. Test cricket, the game’s gold standard, is threatened by international ‘white ball’ franchises, run all year long for the benefit of television executives who aren’t bothered whether people turn up to watch. Why should they be? The Indian Premier League, established in 2007, is now valued at $10.9 billion. So Bazball is a way of winning Tests and also hearts.

Cricket has witnessed more profound changes in the past decade than in the previous 100 years, with perilous consequences for the five-day game. Other than England and Australia, only India are committed to Tests in a meaningful way, and only then on their own nakedly commercial terms. The waters are rising. Those who grew up loving a gentler, more contemplative game must enjoy it while they can.