'Bazball' got introduced into the dictionary

The infamous word 'Bazball' has entered the Collins dictionary as it was widely used. The word was meant as a daring and risk-taking approach by England's Test team. The term was coined after former New Zealand captain and current England Test team head coach, Brendon McCullum.

Also Read: What is Bazball? 5 things to know about the concept that has taken England cricket by storm

The word was described as "A Test cricket style characterized by an assertive and aggressive batting approach." It will be featured in the upcoming print edition of the dictionary in 2024. Meanwhile, the Brendon McCullum-inspired word has already been included in the online version of the renowned publication.

Interestingly, following McCullum's appointment as England's coach, the use of the term ' Bazball' increased nearly 400 percent between 2022 and 2023. Moreover, it was during the Ashes 2023 series, when England overcame a 2-0 deficit to earn an exciting 2-2 draw against the arch-rivals, Australia. Besides, Harper Collins revealed that the term became one of the top 10 new words of 2023. 

The word is now frequently employed to characterize a daring, risk-taking approach in other fields as well. The UK prime minister Rishi Sunak's political tactics too have been called a "political Bazball. Besides, England football manager Gareth Southgate had earlier stated that he was inspired by the test team's approach. Meanwhile, Helen Newstead, language data consultant for Collins Dictionaries, stated that 'Bazball' was probably the most significant new word to emerge from the world of sport this year.

Publishers HarperCollins stated that "the excitement of this summer's Ashes series had many people talking about Bazball".

Also Read: Brendon McCullum finds all 'Bazball' talk silly

Explaining the process of adding new words to their dictionary, they said, "The lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor the 20-billion-word Collins Corpus which draws from a range of media sources, including social media, to create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it."

However, McCullum said last summer, "I don't have any idea what "Bazball" is. I don't really like that silly term that people are throwing out there."