‘Bazball’ gets recognition in prestigious Collins dictionary after 400% rise in use of the word
Bazball introduced by England coach Bredon McCullum (Source: Twitter)
Amidst the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, the defending champions, England, have failed to put up a show with the bat. In an abysmal performance, their batting unit has failed to score a half-century in the last three games. Despite being on the verge of elimination from both the World Cup and Champions Trophy, the English team hasn’t refrained from using the Bazball approach.
The aggressive brand of cricket, which helped them improve their game in the last few years, has been their biggest enemy in the tournament. Meanwhile, the word has been recognised by the prestigious Collins Dictionary. The term ‘Bazball’, coined to signify an aggressive cricket approach, has gained substantial usage over the past year and has consequently been added to the Collins dictionary.
Andrew Miller, the UK editor at ESPNCricinfo, first introduced the term in May 2022, inspired by the appointment of former New Zealand captain Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum as England’s Test team coach. As per the report, the term’s usage surged by 400 per cent from 2022 to 2023, leading Harper Collins to acknowledge it as one of the ten most significant new words of the year in 2023.
What is the Bazball approach?
According to the definition in the Collins dictionary, ‘Bazball’ refers to “a style of Test cricket in which the batting side plays in a highly aggressive manner”. This term has been used to describe an aggressive approach to cricket in Test matches. Despite being the pioneers of the approach, England has failed to put up a show with bat in the ongoing tournament.
The team is currently on the verge of elimination. However, three consecutive wins from here might help them finish in the top eight to avoid elimination from the Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament is set to be played in Pakistan in 2025. The top 7 teams from the ongoing tournament will participate in the upcoming mega event.
