‘I don’t really like that silly term Bazball’

LONDON: Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, has said that he has no idea what ‘Bazball’ means and suggested that the phrase has missed the nuances of his side’s new approach.

‘Bazball’ was termed by Andrew Miller, Cricinfo’s UK editor, on an episode of the Switch Hit podcast recorded before the start of England’s series against New Zealand last month to describe the positive style of play that McCullum’s old side had adopted under his captaincy.

England have since adopted an ultra-attacking method with the bat and won all four of their Tests under McCullum’s leadership, sweeping New Zealand 3-0 and winning the rescheduled fifth Test against India to level the series at 2-2, chasing 270-plus in the fourth innings of all four Tests.

‘I don’t have any idea what ‘Bazball’ is,’ McCullum told SEN radio’s WA Breakfast show. ‘It’s not just all crash and burn, if you look at the approach, and 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.’

McCullum was asked by host Adam Gilchrist whether he felt as though England’s ultra-attacking style had ‘changed the landscape’ of Test cricket, a suggestion which he denied. ‘I certainly wouldn’t say that,’ he said.

‘All we try and do is play a brand of cricket which gives the guys the greatest amount of satisfaction and gives them the best opportunity. We’ve also got an obligation to entertain.

‘It’s been a challenging period for those who love the game of Test cricket because society has changed and people don’t necessarily have five days to sit down and watch cricket anymore, so we need to make sure that the product that we’ve got and the product that we’re taking to the people is worthy of their time and is able to captivate some of those imaginations.