The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will see an exciting match on Blockbuster Saturday, as the reigning champions fight to regain their pride after almost missing the semifinals. Before this clash, a new term, ‘Bazball,’ found its way into the Collins Dictionary, describing a highly aggressive style of Test cricket by the batting team.
When Australian cricketer Marnus Labuschagne, heard about it, he expressed his surprise and called it “garbage.”
Labuschagne’s initial reaction to the news was, “I didn’t know about it. What is it? What happened?” He continued, “Oh man, that is garbage. I don’t know what that is. Honestly, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
'Bazball' in the dictionary? 📖🤔
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2023
#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/tlAdju5qVn
‘Bazball’ gained popularity when Brendon McCullum became the head coach of the England Test team and introduced an attacking approach to red-ball cricket instead of the traditional style.
Under his leadership, England excelled in Test cricket, with their biggest challenge being the 2-2 draw in the Ashes 2023 series.
The term ‘Bazball’ is attributed to Brendon McCullum’s nickname ‘Baz’ and is well-known in the cricket world, although McCullum himself isn’t a fan of it, stating, “I don’t really like that term people are using, as there’s actually a lot of thought behind it.”
Furthermore, ‘Bazball’ is a contender for Collins’ Word of the Year 2023, as it was shortlisted by the organization.
However, England cricket team hasn’t been performing well in the World Cup, with only one victory against Bangladesh and five losses in six matches, placing them at the bottom of the table.
Their batting lineup has struggled to score over 200 runs in their last three games, whether they were chasing or batting first. England’s chances of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy are also in doubt with only Top 7 teams to qualify for the tournament (8 if hosts Pakistan finishes top 7).
