Africa’s series defeat in September 2022, South African captain Dean Elgar said he doubted the staying power of Bazball as a playing style because although it “..is quite interesting, I don’t see that there’s longevity in brave cricket because I see things evening out over time in Test cricket”. Australian batter Steve Smith also questioned the longevity of the approach saying he was “intrigued to see how long it lasts, if it’s sustainable, if you come on a wicket that’s got some grass and Josh Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc are rolling in at you. Is it going to be the same?” Former Australian pace bowler Geoff Lawson questioned if the Bazball style would continue against the Australian fast bowlers and predicted the Australian team would not go the same way, asking “does Bazball work for him or against him? Would Marnus Labuschagne forgo a 200-ball century for 50-ball 70? Nah. I can’t see the Australians casting aside their cricket DNA for a theory. The England team has the right ingredients at the moment of the young and the reckless to cook up a Bazball cake. Australia would have to wait for the next Test generation composed of white-ball smiters.” During season two of the Amazon Prime Video documentary series following the Australia team entitled The Test, the Australian players were seen to have scribbled Ronball on their dressing room door in honour of their coach Andrew McDonald’s nickname, seen as a satire on the Bazball monicker given by the English press. References Cricket terminology Cricket captaincy and tactics 2022 neologisms