CSIRO, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Well it seems that Bazball couldn’t save England from a trouncing in their recent T20 match against India. In all fairness they do have a different coach for the shorter formats in Matthew Mott. Oddly enough they were playing something they could be described as Mottball, although I’m not sure that tag is going to catch on. Speaking of the T20 and Bazball, can anyone tell me why Jonny Bairstow is not featured in that team and the same goes for Rishabh Pant for the Indian team. I mean they both play T20 style cricket in potentially trying test match conditions and are already proven in the 20 over format. I feel that some of the international T20 squads are a bit of b-side at times. Harsh? Whateva dude/dudess.
Back to Bazball. Well it seems it’s creator/dad, Brendan McCullum, thinks it’s silly. I assume he’s referring to the term rather than the approach. He’s right of course, as it sounds like someone who has just come out of a root canal procedure trying to pronounce baseball. Also word on the street is that he’s not keen on his nickname of Baz and was always aiming for Brendo (which would be bastardised to Brendo the Frendo, post No Country for Old Men release). McCullum explains the inadequacies of the term,
“…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.”
I look forward to seeing that.
