The pounding metal notes of “Bazball” are still resonating in British sports, and the men’s hockey team of Team GB is hoping that this attitude will propel them to Olympic gold.
In high-performance circles, the offensive strategy made popular by Brendon McCullum’s Test cricket team has come to represent the removal of imperceptible obstacles to success.
The newest sport to assume the role is hockey, which is being driven toward Paris 2024 by head coach Paul Revington, who espouses optimism in an effort to create history.
The last time Britain’s men have won gold at the Olympics was in Seoul in 1988, and Barry Davies famously asked, “Where were the Germans?” Really, who gives a damn?
Every day, Revington poses a straightforward question to his players.
We have a proverb that asks, “Would a man and his dog stop if they were walking past our training pitch?”
The South African has had to rewire Britain’s hockey DNA in order to achieve his goal of making every training session an exhibition.
He states, “It is unquestionably shackles off, which hasn’t always been GB’s primary philosophy.”
“The guys have been training and playing in a relentless manner for a long time, so the word to describe it would be relentless.”
It’s working; these aren’t just words. England’s greatest finish in 14 years and only their third final appearance came in the summer with European silver.
In the Pro League, a 16-game, six-month test against the best teams in the world, Revington’s team (playing as Great Britain) finished second last season, their best finish ever.
Zach Wallace plays the role of Ben Stokes if Revington is McCullum.
He is one of the most talented players in the world of video games and was nominated for the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award. The 24-year-old’s incredible “tomahawk” volleyed goal against New Zealand in April is a perfect example of his team’s style and has been hailed as one of the best goals in recent memory of hockey.
Wallace claims that “the play we had before wasn’t really true to the personalities we had.” “Our group is young and hungry, so it fits us to be brutal and unrelenting in our approach.”
Wallace uses attacks like the tomahawk on a daily basis while he is in training, so they are not accidental. He recounts an instance in which he was attempting a creative ending and almost hurt himself.
Wallace remarked, “We don’t have a training session where we come off as chilled out. “We’re barely getting off the field. Although severe, this is precisely what we wanted.
Phil Roper, a striker, has been with the Great Britain team for ten years and has experienced losing in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics.
“Being a part of Revs has given me a fresh perspective on life,” adds Roper. “At thirty-one, I’m still learning, and this is the most interesting group I’ve ever been in.”
It’s not a case of hit and hope when building Bazball. Roper and Wallace are enrolled in UK Sport’s World Class Programme, which is supported by the National Lottery. This program gives them access to the top coaches in the world, full-time training, and cutting-edge medical careâall of which are essential for their route to Paris and provide Revington with yet another tool in their toolbox.
Although we don’t discuss Bazball in the locker room, Revington notes that there is a framework to our game that is similar to Bazball. The cricket squad from England doesn’t just go out and swing. It changes all the time and has many different dimensions.
Fans of Team GB will be wondering if these Bazballers can live up to the memory of the boys of ’88 as hockey gets ready for its quadrennial debut at the Olympics.