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Exclusive Interview with Wiaan Mulder: “I’m Not Here to Break Records. I’m Here to Confuse Future Cricket Historians.”

BULAWAYO, ZIM—In a move that stunned fans, broke Twitter, baffled statisticians, and visibly aged every commentator in the box, South African makeshift captain & No. 3 Wiaan Mulder inexplicably declared the innings on 367* at Lunch on Day 2. He later explained that he “never liked the idea of being remembered,” and the only reason he scored so many runs in the first place was to “confuse generations of future cricket historians.”

Although Mulder publicly stated that he stopped short of the 400* record out of respect for the legendary Brian Lara, our exclusive interview revealed a far more complicated reality.

The Declaration Heard Around the World

Announcement to the Reader:

“We like to ask the tough questions. The ones that have puzzled mankind for centuries:

Did aliens build the Pyramids? Are we alone in this vast Universe? What’s in the Bermuda Triangle?

And most importantly….Why did Wiaan Mulder Declare on 367*?
Today, we ask the man himself.”

BCD: “Spill it. Why did you really declare?”

Mulder: “Not gonna say.”

BCD: “For nearly three hours after the declaration, we sat on the edge of our seats, waiting for an explanation. Social media was in meltdown mode. Was it a possible weather alert? Over-rate fines? A silent protest? Or did you just….get bored? What was it, Wiaan? We deserve the truth.”

Mulder: “You don’t wanna know.”

BCD: “Try me.”

Mulder: “It wasn’t a cricketing decision. It was a situational call.”

BCD: “Situational?”

Mulder: “Situation being….I may or may not have gotten a stomach bug…and let’s just say, I had to use the restroom for more than 30 minutes.”

BCD: “So…it wasn’t Lara?”

Mulder: “No, no. Of course it was Lara. I was watching the Wimbledon during lunch and caught a glimpse of him in the crowd. And it reminded me…the great Brian Lara still walks among us.”

BCD: “You were watching Wimbledon while you were in the toilet?”

Mulder: “That’s besides the point.”

BCD: “But why retire on 367?”

Mulder: “367 is a prime number. There was something beautiful, poetic about that.”

BCD: “So now are a math enthusiast too? Alright then, explain this: Why stop short of Lara’s 400, but not Hashim Amla’s 311*? You were on 307 before those back-to-back boundaries…and 307 is also prime.”

Mulder: “Yeah…I have been living with that mistake ever since lunch. Should’ve stopped at 307. Got carried away. Guess I had one too many beers this morning.”

BCD: “Alright then. But you were on 367!”

Mulder: “Some days you average 26.20. Other days, you score 367. Just the law of averages. Nothing more.”

BCD: “But 400 was right there. Why not go all the way or at least attempt to? Won’t you regret it? Records are meant to be broken. How will the sport progress otherwise?”

Mulder: “I knew I was close to a record. That’s when I knew it was time to walk away.”

Pause. Mulder takes a deep breath.

“Besides, breaking 400 would have skewed my Test average too much. I didn’t want to challenge Sobers, Lara, and Bradman on the same day.”

BCD: “You’re saying you declared for statistical balance?”

Mulder: “I am saying…I never liked the idea of being remembered. But I do like the idea of some poor cricket analyst 30 years from now looking at the scorecard and going, “Wait, what?”

And just as I was about to ask my next question, Mulder gazed into the distance, channeled his inner Juliet, and began to speak. Everything slowed down.

Mulder (continued):

“What’s in a number?

Everything in the world is temporary.

Records fade. Players retire. Names blur.

But confusion? Confusion sticks.”

BCD: “What does that even mean?”

Mulder: “Exactly.”

****

Before I could wrap up the interview and tie loose ends, Mulder stood up, dropped his mic, and vanished into the corridor in the most Mulder fashion. No explanation. He left behind an unfinished cup of tea, a stunned reporter, and a world still trying to make a sense of it all.

Sources say that Mulder plans to retire with 799 wickets, 99 hundreds, a Test average of 99.91, and a business startup with Brian Charles Lara called Legacy Records.

****

A Personal Reflection

In all seriousness, what a wonderful knock by Wiaan Mulder. Scoring a triple century with a 100+ strike rate and then coming out to bowl is out of this world!

What an achievement. You’re a legend in my eyes, Wiaan.

I hope this is just the beginning of many more moments of glory to come.
And I hope South African cricket continues to rise like it has over the past few days with spirit, class, and belief.

Also, credit where it’s due: Mulder gave a wonderfully grounded interview to Shaun Pollock after the day’s play.

My Own Reactions

I’ll leave you with a few of my tweets from this morning when I was losing my mind with the declaration.

****

This article was inspired by the writing style of The Onion.

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#BCD399 © Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 07/07/2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear

Oh Lord, Please Save the Bowlers! 12 Rules To Change Cricket’s Dynamics

Not the greatest time to be a bowler, is it?

In IPL 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad are hitting sixes for the fun of it, 262 is chased as if it was a child’s play, and 287 feels at least 13 runs short.

The rise in run rate is alarming. Just look at the graphic below.

Number of 190 and 200+ Scores in the IPL between 2008 and 2024.

In 2009, there was only one solitary 200+ score and zero other 190+ scores.

By the team we got to 2023, there were 49 190+ scores, which included 37 200+ scores. This year, we have already had 35 190+ scores including 25 200+ scores and eight 250+ scores.

12 Rules That Will Help Bring the Balance Back to the Bowlers

But don’t worry.

I got you.

I bring to you 12 rules that will change the game for good and bring the bowlers back to life!

*Note: This is Satire. Take this Seriously at your own risk.

1. For Every No-Ball, We Need a No-Bat

A bowler oversteps by a millimeter, it is called a no-ball. A bowler bowls wide behind the batter or misses the wide line by a fine margin, it is called a wide.

So, we propose the ‘No-Bat.’ If a batter at the non-strikers end leaves their crease by a millimeter, have them run without a bat. It is mandatory to dive for every run. Let them work for it.

And Also subtract two runs per violation. Why not?

2. Smaller the Boundary, Wider the Stumps

Boundaries are getting smaller by the day. Let’s do this—The shorter the boundary, the wider the stumps.

At the 90 meter MCG boundaries, we play with the regular three stumps. At the Chinnaswamy, increase the wicket to 6 stumps.

3. Each Bowler will get a customized Ball suited to their Strengths

These days, bats are getting bigger. Batters work with manufacturers to get customized bats.

So why do bowlers play with the same standardized balls?

Each bowler should get to pick their favorite balls and stop the match in the middle to switch balls whenever they feel like it. We want Duke balls, SG, Kookaburra, old balls, new balls, used balls, tape balls, tennis balls, red balls, white balls, pink balls, the complete lot!

4. No Cap on Bowlers Quota

If Jos Buttler can carry the bat and play the 20 overs, let’s give Sunil Narine the opportunity to open the bowling and end with figures of 10-3-42-7.

5. Batters can only play 24 Balls Maximum

On the flip side, if Jasprit Bumrah is limited to 24 balls, KL Rahul should be limited to just 24 balls (Oh wait…that might actually be a good thing for the batting team…You get my point)

6. Batters Can Only Hit 2 Aerial Shots Per Over

There are only 2 bouncers allowed per over for the bowler. There should only be 2 aerial shots attempted per over for the batter.

7. If Batters Can Switch Hit Without Notice, Bowlers should be able to Switch Bowl Without Notice

Kevin Pietersen and David Warner are allowed to switch hit and take advantage of every corner of the ground. No problem with the that, hats off to them.

Allow the great scientist, Ravichandran Ashwin, to start his line up around the wicket, change to over the wicket, dance around the umpire, and change his action from right arm off-leg spinner to left arm wrist spinner.

8. More Sponsorship for the Bowlers

Umm…this is not satire. Bowlers should actually receive more sponsorship.

9. Flatter the Pitch, Lesser the Overs

At the beginning of each innings, a pitch report should be conducted where experts take their magnifying glasses and lay down flush on the pitch to count the number of cracks and blades of grass. That number should be given to the Duckworth-Lewis-Sterns of the current era.

They will come up with a formula to reduce the number of overs from the maximum of 20. Flatter the pitch, more overs are reduced.

10. If Dew is Present, Batters Will Play with Gloves Dipped in Oil

Too easy to chase these days when dew is present.

At the first sign of dew, umpires will give the batters special gloves dipped in oil for the remainder of the match.

11. Let’s add a bowling Powerplay, where all 15 players in the Squad are on the Field

Batters get a Powerplay to encourage strokeplay in the first six.

Bowlers should get a 4-over Bowling Powerplay where the rest of the squad, coaches, team management, and Jonty Rhodes come out to the field and cover every inch of the ground.

12. If All Else Fails, Allow Underarm Bowling

Team Australia has always been ahead of the curve. No wonder Australia wins World Cups for breakfast.

If no rule change works, bring back the underarm delivery that Trevor Chappell pioneered in 1981.

That’s it from me, thanks for reading!

Give me your thoughts on how to bring back limited overs cricket back in the bowlers favor.

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Note: Image generated by AI.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 04/27/2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Imagine a World Without Sports

Jimmy stares at the clock.

It’s 3 o’clock. Just 15 minutes to go. School is about to end. Yet another day in the third grade comes to a close.

The bell rings.

Jimmy and his friends scream from the bottom of their lungs. The sprint out the door. They catch the bus and go home.

Jimmy does his homework, completes his chores, watches cartoons, and goes to sleep.

One day goes by. Then another. And another.

The same cycle repeats.

20 years later, Jimmy becomes a successful banker.

Jimmy Anderson, Financial Analyst

****

Michael is one of the most popular students at his university.

He has an INSANE daily schedule.

He wakes up at 4 AM, studies for his midterms, eats breakfast, and goes to marching band practice swiftly at 6:30.

It’s 9 AM now, which means it is lecture time.

He focuses on his classes, finishes his homework during lunch, peruses world history brooks at the library, and takes a short break for some delightful coffee.

At 3 PM, he goes to his entrepreneurship club. To finish off his day, he decides to volunteer at the Food Bank.

He later catches the 9 PM train while he studies some more before he reaches home and crashes on his couch at 10:30 PM.

10 years later, Michael gets a coveted job at the United Nations headquarters.

Michael Jordan, US Policy Analyst, Diplomat in Training.

****

Roger is a doctor.

Serena is an engineer.

Rafael is a lawyer.

Novak is a successful businessman.

Roger spends his entire life in Switzerland. Serena spends her entire life in the United States.

Rafael spends his entire life in Spain, and you guessed it—Novak spends his entire life in Serbia.

Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal never cross paths in their entire lives.

****

We can have our endless debates—Who was the greatest of all-time? Michael Jordan? LeBron James? Or was it Kobe Bryant?

We can have our mindless fan wars. Kohli vs Rohit vs Dhoni.

We can have our arguing, fighting, and grappling. We can have our podcasts, pre-match analysis, post-match analysis, stories & tributes, the numbers game, and the statistical predictions.

But for once, just once, imagine if this all went away on a whim.

Imagine a world without sports.

Just imagine and think—can be just take a step back for once, reflect, and be grateful for what we do have?

What does sports means to you? How would life have been different without it? Comment Below.

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 02/24/2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

2022 T20 World Cup Review: The Quickest Review You Will Ever Find

2022 T20 World Cup Review Time!

Also Read: 2022 T20 World Cup Quickest Preview Ever: One Sentence Preview of all 16 Teams!

1. Afghanistan

Rain, rain go away, come again another day, little Rashid Khan wants to play. They never got to showcase their whole talent, did they? Ran Australia close with Rashid brilliance in Adelaide, Mujeeb’s Magic Ball, and Farooqi’s swing, some moments to cherish.

2. Australia

Foolish batting vs New Zealand, net run rate drops, never recovered, Stoinis only star, Starc-Cummins drop T20 credentials, Finch nearing the end.

3. Bangladesh

The Tigers were one win away from the semi-finals. That is already a big plus, isn’t it? Nothing was expected from them. Also Taskin’s menace and the elegance that Liton Das is.

4. England

Double World Champions, shall I say more? The talent that Sam Curran is, redemptions of Alex Hales & Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler’s calm captaincy paves new era for England cricket. England’s message to the whole world – Change or Perish. This is the way to go in T20s.

Embed from Getty Images

5. India

A script so predictable that is starting to get boring. Virat Kohli’s usual magic, India breezes to the semi-finals, and then packs their bags only to return home. But disappointment aside, That Haris Rauf shot, SKY’s 360 game, and the emergency of Arshdeep is what we will all remember.

Embed from Getty Images

6. Ireland

Coming of age. The Campher-Dockrell recovery vs Scotland set the tone for this World Cup, Balbirnie led from the front, Stirling with his one great innings, Fionn Hand’s Ball vs Stokes, Tector’s 71, and wins versus West Indies and England. Ireland are big boys now.

7. Namibia

Set the World Cup on fire with a dominating victory against Sri Lanka in the first game. Almost through to the Super 12s with David Wiese’s heroics but unfortunately the long boundaries went against them.

8. Netherlands

South Africa will be scarred forever courtesy Roelof Van Der Merwe’s catch and all-round performance. Consistent bowling throughout, Tim Pringle’s glasses, Max O’Dowd’s class, Ackermann’s assault, eye injury to de Leede, Van Meekeren’s fast bowling arrival, and enough support from the rest of the crew.

Embed from Getty Images

9. New Zealand

They came, they saw, they left from the knockout stages without conquering. Same old, same old. Glenn Phillips, Santner, and one innings each of Conway/Allen only positives.

10. Pakistan

Almost a replica of 1992. World Cup down under, lost the first couple, almost out. Then came the Shadab show versus South Africa and they never looked back. Naseem-Shaheen-Haris-Wasim made a potential fast bowling attack that challenged England, but an archaic batting strategy cost them.

Embed from Getty Images

11. South Africa

The reflection of Rilee Rossouw. 100s or nothing. Dominated Bangladesh & India and lost must win games against Pakistan & Netherlands. Another legendary choke in the books.

Embed from Getty Images

12. Sri Lanka

Good, but not good enough. Injuries meant they were not even close to replicating their Asia Cup heroics. Hasaranga among the wickets again. But Off-field controversies are not helping.

13. Scotland

Brilliant victory against the West Indies but will be disappointed. Had one door in the Super 12s but could not stop an Ireland comeback. An end of era, retirements forthcoming.

14. UAE

Great bowling attack, some power hits, and one win against Namibia. That’s better than most expected.

15. West Indies

Hetmyer missed flight, West Indies missed on common sense cricket. Crashed out of the first round. Digging themselves in a hole now.

16. Zimbabwe

The team to support in this World Cup, lead superbly by Sean Williams with charismatic Sikandar Raza as their main man. Defeated Pakistan and were close to the semis if they hadn’t panicked in the Bangladesh run chase. Chakaba solid behind the stumps, Ngarava the pick of the bowlers with Muzarabani and Brad Evans other positives.

Embed from Getty Images

Thanks for reading the 2022 T20 World Cup Review article.

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2022. Originally published on 11/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

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2022 T20 World Cup Quickest Preview Ever: One Sentence Preview of all 16 Teams!

2022 T20 World Cup Quick Preview!

Why waste time when there is so much cricket to come? Let’s save all that energy for the World Cup itself!

Here is the Quickest Preview of the 2022 T20 World Cup team-by-team.

1. Afghanistan

No longer minnows, BBL experience of Rashid-Nabi-Qais-Mujeeb, future stars in Farooqi and Gurbaz, and guaranteed 5 games in Group 1, expect them to overthrow one of Australia/England/New Zealand.

2. Australia

Reigning world champions, defeated by England in bilateral series, acquisition of Singaporean finisher Tim David, the Steve Smith issue, Maxwell’s form, Wade’s fireworks, the promise of Cameron Green (and not actually being in the team), can they make it 2 in 2 at home?

3. Bangladesh

Will Bangladesh ever win another T20I? Shakib-Liton key if the Tigers have any hope.

4. England

The return of Alex Hales, golf injury to Bazball’s Bairstow, where does Stokes even fit, finishing trio Brook-Moeen-Livingstone, but will Wood’s pace & the Topley-led bowling hold up?

5. Ireland

Post the Porterfield & O’Brien generations and the dropping of Andy McBrine, onus is on the new generation of Balbirnie-Delany-Tector-Tucker to bring with them new hope—expect them to be contenders to go to the next round & look out for Josh Little.

6. India

New captain, 30+ bilateral games, injuries to Bumrah-Jadeja-Chahar, comeback of a 37-year-old, the 19th over scars, Dravid as coach, Pandya-Surya on fire, is it finally their time to shed the ‘chokers’ of the last decade tag?

7. Namibia

Best names (Pikky Ya France, for example), great jerseys, shrewd captain in Erasmus, and a David Wiese – surely they will repeat the magic of 2021?

8. Netherlands

Can the Dutch captain, brought up in Australia, erase the horror of 2021 with Max O’Dowd and a new generation (plus an everlasting Roelof van der Merwe)?

9. New Zealand

Conway’s consistency, Allen’s aggression, Williamson’s wisdom, flying Phillips, blistering Bracewell, nifty Neesham, the spinners/all-rounders, and with the Boult-Southee-Ferguson-Milne combo – can we ever really count the Kiwis out?

10. Pakistan

Babar-Rizwan, Rizwan-Babar, that’s all Pakistan is these days, aren’t they? Wrong—There’s Rauf, and Naseem, and Shaheen, but it all depends on Nawaz-Shadab, both with the bat and ball.

11. Scotland

Last chance for Scotland’s great generation (Berrington-MacLeod)? Have some internal issues to sort out.

12. South Africa

Killer Miller, mighty Markram, Rabada-Nortje, oh yeah and there is the Temba Bavuma vs Reeza Hendricks thing to sort out, but forget about them all and look out for Tristan Stubbs, it’s Proteas time now.

13. Sri Lanka

Asia Cup champions, modern T20 template, inspirational captain-finisher-allrounder Shanaka, and the brilliance of Bhanuka Rajapaksa – the dark horses of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

14. West Indies

The end of the great generation, Hetmyer misses a flight, Pooran-Lewis-Holder to carry the load, good fast bowling unit, and who in the world is this Yannic Cariah?

15. Zimbabwe

If they want to qualify to the next round, it will happen on the shoulders of Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, maybe with a little bit of Blessing (Muzarabani).

16. UAE

Participation points? Captaincy change & good show in Asia Cup but will be tough for them to progress to the next round.

Finally here are my predictions and some images from the T20 World Cup media event.

Embed from Getty Images

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 10/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

What is Bazball? The Official Definition of Bazball is…

What is Bazball in cricket? Bazball is a fresh aggressive approach coined for England’s new Test coach, Brendon McCullum, whose nickname is ‘Baz.’

Why are we discussing Bazball in cricket in 2022?

Since captain Ben Stokes & McCullum took over, England cricket team’s record in Test match format has been astonishing: WWWWLWWWWW. This includes seven wins at home against New Zealand, India, & South Africa and 3 away wins in Pakistan. The manner of victory has been even more mind boggling—An innings victory and six wins with 5 wickets or more.

When you type ‘Bazball’ in Google Trends, you get this image below. With England’s astonishing consecutive fourth innings chases in Test match cricket, especially with the 378 against India, no wonder that interest in this term has really, really piqued in the last few days.

But what in the world is Bazball? Can someone be Bazballing? Could you become a Bazballer? Is it a noun, verb, adjective, or all of the above?

Don’t worry, be happy.

Today, we will help you out and try to answer this exact answer—The who, what, where, when, and how of Bazball!

Picture of Google Trends for the word, 'Bazball.'

Table of Contents

Definition of Bazball | Bazball Meaning

While writing this unofficially official definition of Bazball, we took inspiration from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. We make an honest attempt here to write this definition similar dictionary format—part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.), phonetic pronunciation, variants, examples, and more!

Bazball
noun | b-aa-zzz-böl
variants: Bazballing, Bazballer, Bazballed, The Bazball Effect
1. The purpose and intent of Bazball is to completely annihilate the opposition, abruptly change the tide of a game, and bring an uneasy calm before a surprising storm, all without sacrificing the inner innocence and amusement of a three-year-old child.
1b. Note, the prerequisite of Bazballing is the existence of a Bairstow and the ability to display aggression without displaying aggression.
1c. The Bazball Effect is largely a cricketing phenomenon but is not limited to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I know, I know. This sounds too complicated. As conveyed in Bollywood’s 3 Idiots in the acclaimed “What is a Machine” scene, sometimes a simple definition does justice.

So, in simple terms, what is Bazball? Brave, Brash, and lots of Bairstow.

11 Examples of Bazball

  1. England selecting Rob Key, a former English cricketer and commentator with zero administrative experience, as the Managing Director of the English Cricket Team and choosing Brendon McCullum (zero first-class coaching experience) as the head coach of the England Test team.
  2. England captain Ben Stokes declaring on Day 1 with a score of 393/8 on a flat deck with Joe Root still 118*
  3. England team chasing 279/5 in 78.5 overs (RR 3.53) in the 4th innings of a Test match
  4. Not dropping Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad
  5. Jonny Bairstow scoring 136 in 92 balls and once again, England chasing 299 in 50 overs (RR 5.98) with 5 wickets remaining
  6. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell scoring 4 centuries and 5 half-centuries between them, not giving up, and giving England a taste of their own medicine
  7. Jonny Bairstow smashing 162 (157) and 71* (44) and yet again, England chasing 296 in 54.2 overs (RR 5.44) with 7 wickets in hand
  8. Jasprit Bumrah scoring 35 runs off one Stuart Broad over
  9. JB bulldozing 106 & 114* runs and England chasing 378/3 in the 4th innings of a Test match with 7 wickets remaining
  10. Virat Kohli sledging Jonny Bairstow to wake up the sleeping beast
  11. Joe Root being Joe Root (737 runs, 2 wickets, and player of series vs India. Now at 10458 runs and 28 Test centuries)

Different Interpretations of the Bazball

Well, don’t take my word for it. Every word has several interpretations based on the circumstance. Here are three of my favorite interpretations of Bazball.

1. The Eagle (Hindi)

In the Indian language of Hindi, Baaz means Eagle—a majestic bird that hunts its prey. Highly focused, always gets to the target.

Cannot think of a better metaphor for Bazball to be honest. The Baz meaning in Hindi aptly describes the true essence of Bazball.

2. Sanjay Manjrekar on Rishabh Pant

Well, is Bazball an original creation? The first time that cricket has experienced this feeling?

No, definitely not. We have seen this before.

As Sanjay Manjrekar states, we don’t need to look any further than Rishabh Pant.

3. Can You Use It in a Sentence?

In a Spelling Bee, a contestant can ask for usage in a sentence to further understand the word. Our next example doubles up as an interpretation and also satisfies the “Can You Use It in a Sentence?” segment (Don’t know what I am referring to? Watch this hilarious Jimmy Kimmel Spelling Bee segment).

There have been several interpretations of Bazball floating around on the internet, but my favorite by far, has been Andrew Fidel Fernando’s interpretation. Here is an excerpt:

“When a fielder sledges you and you sledge them back with runs. That’s Bazball. When you are so intent on showing respect to the opposition’s bowlers you walk down the track, clear your front leg, and respect them repeatedly into the sightscreen. That’s Bazball. When an old lady needs help crossing the street, but instead of walking her across you fire her from a cannon all the way into her house. Definitely Bazball…When something has been around for a while, but the rebranding is so strong it seems futuile to resist…perhaps this is also Bazball?

Origins and History of Bazball

Brendon McCullum, affectionately known as Baz, has always been in the forefront of the media.

Whether as a swashbuckling wicketkeeper back in 2002, the unofficial launcher of the Indian Premier League with his 158*, captain supreme of New Zealand’s golden run to the 2015 ODI World Cup Final, Baz has always been there. Rejuvenating Eoin Morgan’s men to ODI overhaul, inventing the BMacDilscoop, retiring on a high with the fastest Test hundred, coaching Trinbago Knight Riders to unbeaten glory, or note-taking KKR’s way out of IPL Playoffs, McCullum is a trendsetter.

But this time, it’s different. Coaching T20s? Fine, but Test matches? Baz has no experience. Questions were tossed. The England cricket team had only won one match in their last 17 Tests. How could they possibly bounce back?

They didn’t just bounce back. They Bazzed back. Whatever that means.

Four wins in four Test matches. Record chases of 250+. They have now brushed aside both of the finalists in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship, New Zealand and India. The Rob Key-Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes partnership has somehow swayed a magic wand over England and rejuvenated the English fans’ hopes in Test cricket

England are no longer the good guys of world cricket. They are, now the Baz boys….

Brendon McCullum In His Own Words

Here are some snippets of Brendon McCullum from an interview after a 3-0 win over his home nation, New Zealand. When asked about emotion, clarity, keeping it simple, and his general coaching style, he said,

“I try to quieten down some of the noise…Trying to get these guys closer together and try for them to understand their game…give them as much confidence as I can…we can get caught up in a fear of failure…..and I don’t know what Bazball is…don’t know where it came from..[on Jonny] .Go out there and just be yourself. Have your moment…Try to inspire the next generation of Test cricket”

– Brendon McCullum

This has already inspired the likes of Dravid-Ball, Lax-Ball. How far reaching will McCullum’s coaching impact be?

Can Brendon McCullum Fulfill His True Legacy?

Brendon McCullum has won trophies, gained worldwide acclaim, and played memorable innings. He has achieved everything a cricketer can achieve in his or her life.

McCullum has been a lifelong trendsetter. Now only goal remains.

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Can Brendon McCullum, aka Baz, fulfill his legacy and make the Dictionary?

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*In order to get an official word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the usage and citation matters. There are dictionary employees working on a daily basis perusing through publications, articles, online editorials, etc. So basically, if we use Bazball enough, especially in written work, it will one-day, make the dictionary.

Bazball in England Cricket – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Bazball?

The purpose and intent of Bazball is to completely annihilate the opposition, abruptly change the tide of a game, and bring an uneasy calm before a surprising storm, all without sacrificing the inner innocence and amusement of a three-year-old child.
The prerequisite of Bazballing is the existence of a Bairstow and ability to display aggression without displaying aggression.
The Bazball Effect is largely a cricketing phenomenon but is not limited to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.Photo of Ben Stokes, who as formed a good partnership with coach Brendon McCullum to instill the Bazball philosophy.

What are some examples of Bazball?

– England selecting Rob Key, a former English cricketer and commentator with zero administrative experience, as the Managing Director of the English Cricket Team and choosing Brendon McCullum (zero first-class coaching experience) as head coach of the England Test team
– Jonny Bairstow smashing 136 (92), 162 (157), or 71*(44) and England chasing 279/5 in 78.5 overs (RR 3.53), chasing 299 in 50 overs (RR 5.98), or chasing 279/5 in 78.5 overs (RR 3.53) in 4th innings of a Test match.
– Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell scoring 4 centuries and 5 half-centuries between them, not giving up, and giving England a taste of their own medicine
– Jasprit Bumrah scoring 35 runs off one Stuart Broad over
– England scoring 657 in 101 overs with 4 centuries in Rawalpindi against Pakistan on a dead pitch.Photo of Jonny Bairstow, an icon of Bazball philosophy.

Who coined the phrase, ‘Bazball’?

Although the ‘Bazball’ is named for Brendon McCullum, known as ‘Baz,’ he did not coin the term himself. The phrase ‘Bazball’ was created by England cricket fans on social media and commentators.

What is the Bazball approach?

What is Bazball in cricket? Bazball is a fresh aggressive approach coined for England’s new Test coach, Brendon McCullum, whose nickname is ‘Baz.’Photo of Brendon McCullum, also known as Baz, during England cricket team's coaching practice.

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