'Bazball', which is derived from McCullum's nickname 'Baz', has been associated with England's drastic change in approach towards Test cricket since the arrival of the new head coach.
England's captain Ben Stokes, second right, and teammates pose after their win the fifth cricket test match against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Eng land, Tuesday, July 5, 2022. AP PTI
'Bazball' could be the most used term in world cricket over the last one month but the inspiration behind it, England Test coach Brendon McCullum, finds the incessant talk around the newly coined word 'silly'. 'Bazball', which is derived from McCullum's nickname 'Baz', has been associated with England's drastic change in approach towards Test cricket since the arrival of the new head coach.
England, who endured a dismal run over the last 18 months, look a completely transformed outfit with 3-0 series over New Zealand and a record chase in the rescheduled fifth Test against India. Senior Australia batter Steve Smith called England's counter-attacking approach exciting but is not sure about its sustainability, especially till the Ashes in England next summer. Reacting to Smith's comments, former New Zealand captain McCullum, one of the most aggressive opening batters to have played for the Kiwis, said a lot of thought has gone into England's fresh approach towards the five-day game and acknowledged the Australian challenge in 2023.
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"I saw those (bazball comments) flick up on one of the feeds somewhere," McCullum told Adam Gilchrist on SEN WA Breakfast show. "It's quite right, it is going to be a big challenge when we take on Australia. It's going to challenge our method and it's going to challenge what we're capable of achieving and that's pretty exciting I reckon. "Isn't that what the game's all about? It is to sort of reinvigorate yourself and then be confronted against the very best. I do believe that both New Zealand and India are two very, very good cricket sides as well," said McCullum.
He added that their style of play might look straightforward but it is far from that. "Australia is a different kind of challenge because of the history of the Ashes and the rivalry which exists there. "I'm sure that our guys will try and still maintain a really positive approach. I think the real key is not just the crash and burn if we look at the approach of how the guys have done it," McCullum said. "That's why I don't really like that silly term that people are throwing out there, because there's actually quite a bit of thought that goes into how the guys manufacture their performances and when they put pressure on bowlers and which bowlers they put pressure on. There's also times where they've absorbed pressure beautifully as well."
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