What is Bazball? Meaning behind new term explained as England look to bounce back from 2-0 deficit in Ashes series

Bazball is something you would have heard mentioned a lot if you followed the opening two Ashes Tests.

Cricket commentators from around the world have picked up on the phrase and it'll be said over and over again this summer.

And as we approach the the third Test at Headingley, you can bet you will hear all about Bazball once more as England look to save the series.

What is Bazball?

In cricket terms, this is a very new phrase and came into existence in 2022, when Brendon McCullum was appointed England's new Test head coach and Ben Stokes was made captain.

England had tended to play safe under Chris Silverwood and Joe Root, but that has all changed.

McCullum and Stokes want England to play positive cricket, take risks, and when bowling, focus on taking wickets rather than stopping runs.

Therefore, the term has come to be used to describe England's new way of playing Test cricket - both batting and fielding.

Bazball encourages England's batters to express themselves and pressure the bowlers by looking to score at any opportunity and in any way possible.

This approach has seen Zak Crawley favoured as an opener because of his ability to score quickly, even if he has struggled to make any huge scores.

Even players like Joe Root, who are technically excellent, have been encouraged to try different shots.

In the field, England are now focused on taking twenty wickets rather than limiting runs and building pressure that way.

Stokes often sets very attacking fields to give his bowlers the best chance.

England leave fielders high up and not on the boundary in an attempt to entice the opposition into big shots.

Crucially, batting or fielding mistakes aren't criticised to avoid piling too much pressure onto the players.

All of this has made England exciting to watch and could inspire a new generation of cricket fans.

Plus, it has been successful, with England winning 11 of their 14 Tests since Bazball was created.

McCullum, himself, isn't a fan of the term, saying: "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."

However, Aussie legend Kerry O'Keefe believes McCullum's approach to cricket comes from tragedy.

The New Zealander was playing at the same time batter Phil Hughes died in 2014 when he was struck by a bouncer on the side of the neck during a game for his county in Australia.

And O'Keefe believes that McCullum now wants to see every game of cricket played like it's the last.

Speaking to Fox Sports, he said: "Look, I lay it [Bazball] at the feet of Brendon McCullum.

"And I lay it also, and may he rest in peace, Phillip Hughes. Because that was a defining moment in Brendon McCullum's career.

"When Phillip Hughes died on the pitch, it was 2014, Brendon McCullum was captaining New Zealand.

"He said, 'we are going to play without care, without consequence, because we are going to play every day as if it's our last and to hell with judgment'.

"Two years later, he scored the fastest Test century in the history of the game, 54 balls against Australia. Bazball is a consequence of Phillip Hughes' passing."

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