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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

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.

10 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 chasing 279/5 in 78.5 overs (RR 3.53) in the 4th innings of a Test match
  3. Not dropping Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad
  4. Jonny Bairstow scoring 136 in 92 balls and once again, England chasing 299 in 50 overs (RR 5.98) with 5 wickets remaining
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. Jasprit Bumrah scoring 35 runs off one Stuart Broad over
  8. JB bulldozing 106 & 114* runs and England chasing 378/3 in the 4th innings of a Test match with 7 wickets remaining
  9. Virat Kohli sledging Jonny Bairstow to wake up the sleeping beast
  10. 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.

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. England 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.

****

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

****

*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.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 07/07/2022. 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).

SRH Vs DC IPL 2021 Match 20 Review: All-Round Delhi Outdo Williamson In Super Over Clash

SRH Vs DC – IPL 2021 Match #20 Quick Review!

Match Details, Scorecard, & Video Highlights

Scorecard: SRH Vs DC Video Highlights

Toss: DC won the toss and chose to bat first.

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & KN Ananthapadmanabhan

What Actually Happened

  • Winner: Delhi Capitals won in the Super Over.
  • Scores: DC 159/4SRH 159/7
  • Super Over: SRH 8/0 DC 9/0
  • Player of the Match: Prithvi Shaw
  • Best Figures
    • Siddharth Kaul – 2/31
    • Avesh Khan 34/3
  • Most Runs
    • Prithvi Shaw – 53 (39)
    • Kane Williamson – 66* (51)

Moments of The Day: Top Order, Spinners Make It Delhi’s Day (Barely)

The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:

  • Prithvi Shaw‘s first six scoring shots included 5 fours and one six. All from the middle of the bat to give DC a start that they wanted in Chennai. At this ground, a quickfire 53 was the momentum that was the difference between the two sides.
  • The only other batsman that played a long innings was Kane Williamson. Having collapsed earlier with smaller targets, Kane Williamson showed his worth in this 160 run chase. Batted through the innings and got SRH close to victory. Well, at least to the Super Over.
  • Avesh Khan & Jagadeesha Suchith are the names on the long list of young Indian talent. Avesh Khan impressed yet again with 34/3 and is now second on the Purple Cap list (11 wickets) behind Harshal Patel. At the end of the innings, Axar Patel’s back-to-back wickets of Abhishek Sharma & Rashid Khan, it looked curtains for SRH. Williamson needed support and got a timely 14*(6) from Suchith. 2 fours and a pulled six off Kagiso Rabada.
  • The spin trio of Ashwin (4-0-27-0), Axar (4-0-26-2), and Mishra (4-0-31-1) finally played together, and they all delivered. The ball was turning square, and they were varying their pace and deliveries accordingly. May be the last time to see these three together this year.

Honorable Mentions: Rishabh Pant-Steven Smith 58 run partnership; Delhi’s Spin Trio

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Why Didn’t Bairstow Play the Super Over?

  • Jonny Bairstow was on fire again with quickfire 38 (18) with 4 sixes and has been SRH’s most destructive & consistent batsman this season. Hence, it was surprising that he was not sent with Williamson in the Super Over. His expression on the sidelines went viral.
  • In addition to the English and more Australian players leaving the IPL, Ravichandran Ashwin is the first Indian to leave the IPL to support his family. The situation in India is concerning. Let us hope for the best and stay safe everybody.

IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders

No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!

  • Shikhar Dhawan 259 runs (DC, 5 matches)
  • Harshal Patel – 15 wickets (RCB, 5 matches)
TeamsPlayedWonLostTied
No-Result
PointsNet Run Rate
1. Chennai Super Kings54108+ 1.612
2. Delhi Capitals54108+ 0.034
2. Royal Challengers Bangalore54108+ 0.096
4. Mumbai Indians52304-0.032
5. Punjab Kings 52304-0.428
6. Rajasthan Royals52304-0.681
7. Sunrisers Hyderabad51402-0.18
8. Kolkata Knight Riders51402-0.675
IPL 2021 Points Table

Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:

  1. Chennai Super Kings – CSK Preview
  2. Delhi Capitals – DC Preview
  3. Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR Preview
  4. Mumbai Indians – MI Preview
  5. Punjab Kings – PBKS Preview
  6. Rajasthan Royals – RR Preview
  7. Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB Preview
  8. Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH Preview

Copyright (2021: 4/12/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Home » Jonny Bairstow

India Vs England Series Review T20I & ODI 2021: India’s Young Brigade Strikes Once Again

India Vs England Series Review. The most anticipated limited overs series of the year—#1 England vs #2 India.

Did the series live up to the hype? Not quite. Except the Sam Curran game, none of the games went down to the wire, but there were plenty of talking points regardless:

  • 40 is the new 50 feat Jason Roy
  • Debutants Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Liam Livingstone, & Prasidh Krishna storm the international arena
  • Shardul Thakur is the new Liam Plunkett
  • The power game of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, & Ben Stokes is second to none
  • Umpiring – Nitin Menon’s brilliance & soft signals’ ignorance

Here are the series stats, video highlights, winners & losers, and emerging players. Read till the end for World T20I Squad Predictions and some Dinesh Karthik content.

Also Read: India Vs England Test Series Review

Stats, Scorecards & Video Highlights – India Vs England

T20I Series: India Win 3-2

  1. England won by 8 wickets *Jofra Archer
  2. India won by 7 wickets *Ishan Kishan
  3. England won by 8 wickets *Jos Buttler
  4. India won by 8 runs *Suryakumar Yadav
  5. India won by 36 runs *Bhuvneshwar Kumar

* Player of Match

T20I Series Stats

Player of SeriesIndia
Virat Kohli
England
Most RunsVirat Kohli – 231 runs
(best of 80*, 50s -3, 147.13 SR)
Jos Buttler – 172 runs
(best of 83*, 50s -2, 147.00 SR)
Most WicketsShardul Thakur – 8 wickets
(best of 3/42, 9.69 economy)
Jofra Archer – 7 wickets
(best of 4/33, 7.75 economy)
India Vs England Series 2021 – T20I Stats

ODI Series: India Win 2-1

  1. India won by 66 runs *Shikhar Dhawan
  2. England won by 6 wickets *Jonny Bairstow
  3. India won by 7 runs *Sam Curran

* Player of Match

ODI Series Stats

Player of SeriesIndiaEngland
Jonny Bairstow
Most RunsKL Rahul – 177 runs
(best of 108, 100-1, 50-1, 88.50 average, 101.14 SR)
Jonny Bairstow – 219 runs
(best of 124, 100-1, 50s-1, 73.00 average, 120.32 SR)
Most WicketsShardul Thakur – 7 wickets
(best of 4/67, 22.57 average, 6.72 economy)
Mark Wood – 5 wickets
(best of 3/34, 21.80 average, 6.41 economy)
India Vs England Series 2021 – ODI Stats

The Highlights

India

  • The highest wicket-taker across both the ODIs & T20Is from both sides, Shardul Thakur has been a revelation over the last few months. After his match-winning contribution at the Gabba, he has contributed in almost every match, either as a power hitter down the order or with important wickets. Only fitting that Ajit Agarkar (with 288 wickets on his name) was on-commentary during some of Thakur’s spells.
  • India’s young brigade—Ishan Kishan began with a solid 56, Suryakumar Yadav 57 (with one-legged six for first shot), and Krunal Pandya scored India’s fastest debutant 50. The lanky Prasidh Krishna was my pick of the lot. Expensive in his first spells but came back with figures of 4/54 & 2/58. Great spirit! Add Shreyas Iyer’s stable performances, Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form in the ODIs, & Virat Kohli’s consistency, this Indian line up looks really solid. Even without Kohli’s elusive 71st ton.
  • The old Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back. Bhuvi’s economy of 4.65 in a high scoring series & KL Rahul’s 62* & 108 in the ODIs (after 0,0,1, 14 in the T20Is) hold well for India. Maybe KL in the middle order is the way to go with Kohli-Rohit opening in the T20Is.
  • Middle overs bowling is a concern for India. Since the break of Kuldeep-Chahal, neither have been convincing. Time for Kuldeep to go back to first class cricket or a county cricket stint. R Ashwin limited overs comeback?

Also Read: Top 75 Players in India, India’s Depth: A Blessing or a Curse?

England

  • Jonny Bairstow & Jason Roy were the reason behind England’s rise & 2019 WC victory, but both had questions over the place over the last few months.
    • Bairstow, the Test batsman, had scores of 0,0, 28 & 0.
    • Bairstow, the limited overs batsman, is something else. First full over – 2 sixes to Chahal. Regained confidence in the T20I and came to the fore in the ODIs with 94 & 124. Except for the ill-timed shot in the first ODI, good signs for England
    • Roy’s the new Root: 49, 46, 9, 40, 0, 46, 55, & 14. After a poor 2020, finally good to have the old Roy back, but needs to convert more often.
  • Mark Wood was my player of the series based on his commitment. The highest wicket taker for England in the ODIs, he bowled his heart out. In the last ODI, he was visibly under the weather but kept bowling at 141+ kph. To add the cherry to the cake, he stayed in the game in that 60 (61) partnership with Sam Curran.
  • Let us talk about the player who was not here (and no, I am not talking about Alex Hales, whose window for return may have opened). Liam Plunkett has been sorely missed since he was dumped post World Cup victory. Tom Curran & Chris Jordan have been expensive across both the formats, and Adil Rashid has only been successful in his new Powerplay position. England can definitely chase 350+, but without Plunkett, they are consistently giving away that many runs.

Also Read: Top 50 Players in England, Why the World Needs Sam Curran?

Squad Predictions – World T20 World Cup

Here is my World T20 XI for India as of now:

India Squad

  1. Virat Kohli*, 2. Rohit Sharma/Ishan Kishan, 3. Suryakumar Yadav/Shreyas Iyer, 4. KL Rahul, 5. Rishabh Pant (WK), 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Washington Sundar, 9. Shardul Thakur, 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11. Jasprit Bumrah/ T Natarajan

Squad: 12. Rahul Chahar/ Yuzvendra Chahal, 13. Shreyas Iyer, 14. Mohammad Shami, 15. Deepak Chahar, 16. Krunal Pandya/ Axar Patel

Wildcards: Navdeep Saini/Mohammad Siraj/ Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tewatia/ Varun Chakravarthy, Manish Pandey/Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik

England Squad

  1. Jason Roy, 2. Jos Buttler (WK), 3. Dawid Malan, 4. Jonny Bairstow, 5. Eoin Morgan*, 6. Ben Stokes, 7. Sam Curran, 8. Moeen Ali, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Adil Rashid, 11. Mark Wood

Squad: 12. Sam Billings, 13. Liam Livingstone, 14. Tom Curran/Chris Jordan/Saqib Mahmood/Reece Topley, 15. Joe Root/Joe Denly

Wildcards: Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, Tom Banton, James Vince, Liam Dawson, Matt Parkinson, Lewis Gregory, Liam Plunkett

Moments of the Series

  • Sam Curran‘s 95* in the final game was the highlight of the series. The make things happen guy had not done much of note for the entire series, but showed his worth in the final ODI dismissing the dangerous Rishabh Pant and displaying his finishing game.

Oh and by the way, my tweet right before the Pant wicket. All he needed was this tweet. You’re welcome Sam Curran fans.

The Awards: Emerging Players & Surprise Package

  • People’s Choice Award: Dinesh Karthik’s analysis & shirts on Sky Sports
  • The Umpiring Award: Nitin Menon’s umpiring received wide social media praise.
  • The Umpiring Anti-Award: Soft-signal (we know it is bad when this rule is dropped from the IPL). This rule received strong criticism after Suryakumar Yadav’s catch by Dawid Malan was deemed out on soft signal (although camera angles were inconclusive).
India England
Emerging PlayersKohli-Rohit T20I opening

Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
Liam Livingstone
Surprise Package‘Intent’Sam Curran, the finisher
Broken Cricket DreamShreyas Iyer, Kuldeep YadavEoin Morgan (injured), Tom Curran & Chris Jordan’s economy rate
India Vs England Series 2021 – Awards

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Where Do They Go From Here?

The two of the most anticipated major tournaments of recent times coming up—and no, I am not talking about the 2020 & 2021 Men’s World T20 World Cup.

I am talking about IPL 2021 & The Hundred. Jofra Archer will miss the IPL to have surgery & recover from injury on his right hand.

New Zealand tour England for two Tests in June followed by India Vs New Zealand for the World Test Championship final. Oh and if you did not have enough of watching these two teams, India tour England for 5 Tests in August-September.

Copyright (2021: 3/29/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Virat KohliNAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons