'That is garbage': Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne on 'Bazball' being included in Collins Dictionary

‘Bazball,’ a term which refers to an aggressive style of playing Tests, made its official entry into the Collins Dictionary on Wednesday. This is an acknowledgment of the unique playing style embraced by the England Test team over the last 15 months. The approach was on full display during the Ashes this year and has become a tag associated with the England Test side ever since Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach. The term was coined after former New Zealand captain and destructive batter McCullum, popularly known as ‘Baz’, took over as England’s Test coach last year in May. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table ‘Bazball’ has been formally recognised as a noun in the dictionary, with the definition stating, “a Test cricket style where the batting side aims to seize the initiative by playing in an exceptionally aggressive manner.” Multiple reports and interviews, however, suggest that the dressing room and especially McCullum himself is not quite fond of this term. The introduction of ‘Bazball’ has ignited some serious debate on social media and in the cricketing community as well. Australia cricketer Marnus Labuschagne, in particular, was not too pleased with the latest development. Sharing his view on this matter, Labuschagne said, “Oh man, that is garbage. I don’t know what that is, honestly.”

'Bazball' in the dictionary? 📖🤔

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— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2023

‘Bazball’ was also chosen as one of Collins’ top 10 words of the year and was also shortlisted for Word of the Year but was ultimately overshadowed by “AI” (artificial intelligence). Harper Collins also recognised it as one of the 10 most significant new words of the year. Now, as ‘Bazball’ has already found its place in the online version of the dictionary, it will soon be seen in the upcoming edition of the physical dictionary. Coming back to the ongoing World Cup, Australia now hold the third spot on the points table with four wins from six matches. They will look to further solidify their position when they take on a struggling English side at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Defending champions England are now the bottom-placed side at the World Cup with just two points in six matches and face a potential elimination.