Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne poked fun at arch-rivals England after the word ‘Bazball’ was included in the Collins Dictionary.
On being asked about the word’s inclusion in the dictionary’s online version, Labuschagne said, “Oh man that is garbage. I do not know what that is. Honestly, I have no idea what you are talking about”.
The term ‘Bazball’ was coined by cricket fans and experts alike to describe the positive, highly aggressive brand of cricket played by England under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, which lifted the team out of struggle and gloom that the team had seen under Joe Root’s captaincy.
England had headed into the summer of 2022 with just one win in 17 Tests, and McCullum-Stokes brought a visible transformation in the Three Lions’ Test game as they went on a winning streak and smashed several batting records.
The Ashes series this year in the UK was also dubbed a battle between England’s ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket and Australia representing traditional Test cricket. However, both sides had their moments of dominance in the series, which was drawn 2-2.
Meanwhile, both Australia and England have been busy at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. While Australia is looking strong with four wins, two losses, and eight points sitting in the third spot in the points table, England has one foot out of the tournament. The defending champions have lost five out of their six matches, and their famed attacking, deep-batting line-up has not clicked for the most part.
England and Australia will take on each other in Ahmedabad on Saturday.