By Frank Dalleres
Bad news for Brendon McCullum: Bazball, the term coined for the gung-ho approach to cricket favoured by the England coach and former New Zealand batter, is now in the dictionary.
Lexicographers Collins has announced Bazball as one of its 10 words of the year for 2023, meaning it will be added to future editions of its English dictionary.
Its first known usage came last year on the cricket podcast SwitchHit, when journalist Andrew Miller drew on McCullum’s nickname “Baz” to create a shorthand for his buccaneering style.
McCullum is thought to hate it, however, which may have informed England cricket chiefs’ decision not to trademark Bazball or use it commercially.
“Sorry but not sorry,” said Miller, UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. “I could not have imagined how viral the word would end up going.
“It became a self-fulfilling prophecy when England started teeing off in the Baz-prescribed manner that summer but then with the Ashes this year it went into overdrive. Rishi Sunak was even encouraged to Bazball the economy.
“I am proud as someone who has worked with words all my career to have a career entered in the dictionary.”
Reaction has not been so enthusiastic among some of England’s traditional cricket rivals, with Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne calling the move “garbage”.
Despite its increasing ubiquity, Bazball was pipped to the No1 spot in the Collins word of the year list by artificial intelligence abbreviation AI.
“We know that AI has been a big focus this year in the way that it has developed and has quickly become as ubiquitous and embedded in our lives as email, streaming or any other once futuristic, now everyday technology,” said Collins managing director Alex Beecroft.
