Bazball

English

Etymology

From Baz +‎ ball, Baz being the nickname of New Zealand cricketer and coach Brendon McCullum.

Noun

Bazball (uncountable)

1. (cricket, informal, slang, neologism) An aggressive run-scoring approach to cricket.
   • [2022 July 9, “England's McCullum dismisses ‘Bazball’ as ‘silly’”, in Manchester Evening News, Glasgow, page 41:

     BRENDON McCullum has referred to ‘Bazball’, the playful term coined in homage to England’s new Test head coach, as ‘silly’.]

   • 2022 July 13, Paul Newman, “World of Cricket”, in Daily Mail, London, page 70:

     THE effects of Bazball can already be seen in the wider cricketing world, too. No sooner had Ben Stokes put out a call to arms telling county cricketers they had to play his way to get in the England team comes evidence of a response from Dom Sibley.

   • 2023 November 18, “Cricket: what the white-ball side can learn from Bazball”, in The Week, Bath, page 24:

     The focus on Bazball may have damaged England's chances at the World Cup – but it is "seemingly now also part of the solution".

   • 2024 April 6, Roger Alton, “County cricket needs Bazball”, in The Spectator, London:

     The debate about ‘Bazball’ is absurd: for professional sport to survive it has to be entertaining, and aggressive cricket is undoubtedly far more entertaining than defensive cricket.