"Don't really like that silly term" - When Brendon McCullum expressed displeasure with the word coined to describe England's style of play

Bazball has been the buzzword in England cricket over the last 2-3 years with regard to their Test performances. Bazball was coined to describe England's ultra-aggressive style of play under the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum captain-coach combine. Using a fresh approach, the Englishmen thumped New Zealand 3-0 in a home series in 2022 and then beat India in the rescheduled Manchester Test.

Bazball has become a trending keyword every time England have been involved in a Test match in recent years. However, McCullum, after whom Bazball is named (Baz is McCullum's nickname) is himself not a fan of the term. Speaking to SEN radio's WA Breakfast show in July 2022, McCullum said:

"I don't have any idea what 'Bazball' is. 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," he went on to add.

England's Bazball ploy has been immensely successful overall. However, they did suffer a 4-1 defeat in India in a five-match Test series early last year.

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"We've also got an obligation to entertain" - McCullum on England's style of play

During the same interaction, the former New Zealand captain was asked by host Adam Gilchrist whether he felt that England's attacking style had changed the landscape of Test cricket. McCullum disagreed and replied:

"I certainly wouldn't say that."

The 43-year-old went on to explain that England try to play a brand of [Test] cricket which gives the guys the greatest amount of satisfaction and gives them the best opportunity. He elaborated:

"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."

England are currently taking on India in a five-match Test series at home. The opening Test of the series is presently underway at Headingley in Leeds. The hosts won the toss and asked India to bat in the Test. India put up 471 on the board courtesy of hundreds from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. England replied with 465 as Ollie Pope scored 106 and Harry Brook 99.

Jasprit Bumrah claimed five wickets in England's first innings, while Prasidh Krishna picked up three. In reply, India were 90-2 in their second innings at stumps at Day 3. KL Rahul was batting on 47 and Shubman Gill on 6.