sport news PAUL NEWMAN: Headingley, Mankad and Bazball... the good, bad and ugly of a very ... trends now
A dramatic campaign ended in extraordinary drama as Warwickshire secured County Championship First Division status by the skin of their teeth and sentenced Yorkshire to last-gasp relegation.
From the transformation of the England Test team and the emergence of Harry Brook ahead of the T20 World Cup to the dark days at Headingley, it has been a very eventful season.
Here, Sportsmail's PAUL NEWMAN picks out the highlights and low points.
Jonathan Bairstow celebrates after England beat India in the Test series decider at Edgbaston
TEST TRANSFORMATION
There is only one place to start. England’s Test cricket could not have been at a lower ebb after another Ashes debacle and defeat in the Caribbean left them with one win in 17 and Joe Root with no option other than to resign as captain.
But the transformation this summer has been extraordinary, starting with what was something of a surprise — if only because he had been making such a success of broadcasting — in the appointment of Rob Key as managing director.
What Key did next was begin a process that is changing the face of the Test game and has provided genuine hope that the grand old format can not only survive in the modern franchise-driven world, but also become the vehicle to bring new supporters to cricket.
KEY UNLOCKS BAZBALL
And Key did it with the appointment of Ben Stokes as captain — it may have been the only viable option, but plenty of us had what proved unnecessary reservations of what it might do to England’s most important player — and the imaginative and inspired recruitment of a man who had never coached in first-class cricket before: Brendon McCullum.
And so Bazball, a word McCullum hates but is a term of endearment, was born and Test cricket might never be the same again.
Yes, there have been positive, attractive sides before. But while winning six out of their seven Tests, England were truly innovative — I don’t think they will ever bat first again after winning the toss — and are now set on revolutionising not only how Tests are played, but also first-class cricket.
Coach Brendon McCullum (L) and captain Ben Stokes have helped transform England
SOLVING THE PUZZLE
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