"Well, I certainly didn't call it that" - Brendon McCullum on experts calling England's approach in Tests as 'Bazball'
England's Test head coach Brendon McCullum recently stated that he is not impressed with the term 'Bazball' as it delegitimizes the thought process of the cricketers.
The name 'Bazball' was coined by ESPNCricinfo editor Andrew Miller on an episode of the Switch Hit podcast. This came after McCullum's appointment as England's Test cricket coach in May 2022.
It is also derived from Brendon McCullum, who is popularly known as 'Baz' and is renowned for his strokeplay, which has been adopted by the current England Test side.
When asked what made him adopt the 'Bazball' approach, McCullum told TOI:
"Well, I certainly didn't call it (Bazball) that! And I don't like that term either because it takes away from the thought process of the (England team) guys. You know, they work incredibly hard. They are very clear how they want to go about things and it's a really simple gain that we are trying to achieve."
"Since the skipper Stoksey (Ben Stokes) has taken over, we've seen the team play with total conviction in its methods and I think that's something that has worked out well for us," Brendon McCullum continued.
"It's not going to be always as rosy as it is at the moment, but we've had a good period, and we're just going to trying to find ways to keep improving and getting better."
So far, the new approach has yielded dividends for Ben Stokes and Co. However, their strategy will be put to the test when they tour India next year for a five-match series.
"Pleased about is the total buy-in we've had from the players" - Brendon McCullum on England's recent Test success
The appointment of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes as head coach and captain, respectively, has brought a massive change in England's Test side. They have won a record number 13 out of 19 matches while ending on the losing side on five occasions.
When asked if he predicted that the team will achieve so much success, McCullum said:
"I'm always an optimist. You hope that things work out well. International cricket is hard, right? There are very good players operating amongst many different nations. Sometimes, you play well and not necessarily win. The thing that I'm most pleased about is the total buy-in we've had from the players and the total conviction from the captain, and how he wants our team to play and how much fun the guys are having."
England's next Test assignment is against India. The match will be played in Hyderabad on January 25.