All posts tagged: McCullum

Brendon McCullum on England players drinking: I don’t think they did things to excess | Cricket News

Brendon McCullum on England players drinking: I don’t think they did things to excess | Cricket News

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With England players drinking problem once again coming to the fore in Australia after yet another Ashes defeat, their head coach Brendon McCullum has defended his players saying they did not ‘do things to excess’ during the tour. After an outing in the mid-series break in Noosa where Ben Duckett was struggling to find his way back home, on Friday news emerged that vice-captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a bouncer during the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes series. All this incidents, particularly on the aftermath of their humbling performances, has called for a detailed review with the England Cricket Board saying it has already started one. But McCullum, whose position itself has come under scrutiny, defended the team’s behaviour. “Half our guys don’t have a drink to be honest. They’ll have a couple of beers every now and again. I think people do that in most walks of life. These guys are young men playing a highly pressurised sport, they’ve got a talent which is cricket and there’s …

Ben Stokes backs Brendon McCullum to continue as England coach despite losing the Ashes

Ben Stokes backs Brendon McCullum to continue as England coach despite losing the Ashes

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England captain Ben Stokes has backed coach Brendon McCullum to continue in his role with the side, despite the visitors having lost the Ashes, with one Test to go in Sydney. The 34-year-old said that he and McCullum were the right men to take England cricket forward, admitting that he could not see anyone other than the former New Zealand captain taking this team to greater heights, along with him. “There is no doubt in my mind me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve worked with Brendon. I can’t see there being someone else who I could take this team [with] from where we are now to even bigger heights.” “So for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, we need to put our heads together and go ‘What is it that we think we need to do to go to the next level?’” Stokes said two days before the Sydney Test. The all-rounder admitted …

‘They drew India who then got thumped by South Africa’: Alastair Cook slams McCullum and Stokes for ‘massive disconnect’ with County cricket | Cricket News

‘They drew India who then got thumped by South Africa’: Alastair Cook slams McCullum and Stokes for ‘massive disconnect’ with County cricket | Cricket News

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Former England captain Alastair Cook has said that the team management has to address what he calls a “massive disconnect” between the side and the country’s domestic County circuit. Cook, speaking on TNT Sports at Lunch on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test in the Ashes, said that England under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have stopped rewarding good performances in County cricket, which needs to be addressed. “They started off with a bang, Key (England team managing director Rob Key), McCullum and Stokes but since then it has gone downhill,” said Cook about the start that the current management had in which they didn’t lose all seven of their first seven Test series, winning five of them. England’s first series loss in the Stokes-McCullum regime was a 4-1 defeat away to India. In fact, the current management have only lost one more series apart from that, which was away from home to Pakistan earlier this year. That defeat was then followed by a remarkable 2-1 series win in New Zealand, followed …

Ravi Shastri should replace Brendon McCullum as England head coach: Monty Panesar

Ravi Shastri should replace Brendon McCullum as England head coach: Monty Panesar

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Following England’s humiliating Ashes series loss to Australia in just 11 days, former England cricketer Monty Panesar has called for a change in leadership, suggesting former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri as a potential replacement for current head coach Brendon McCullum. McCullum’s credibility as a capable head coach and strong leader has somewhat faded amid a string of poor results, both at home and away. The 3–0 scoreline in the ongoing Ashes series Down Under has raised further questions about the New Zealander’s leadership and his much-talked-about “Bazball” approach. In response, former England spinner Panesar believes former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri would be an ideal fit to lead England. Speaking to journalist Ravi Bisht, Panesar said, “You have to think: who exactly knows how to beat Australia? How do you take advantage of Australia’s weaknesses, mentally, physically, and tactically? I think Ravi Shastri should become England’s next head coach.” Since the start of 2024, England have lost more Tests (13) than they have won (12) under McCullum. Under Shastri, India had beaten Australia in Australia …

‘It’s not really up to me’: Brendon McCullum on if he’ll still be in charge of England for next Ashes series in 2027 | Cricket News

‘It’s not really up to me’: Brendon McCullum on if he’ll still be in charge of England for next Ashes series in 2027 | Cricket News

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With England already 0-3 down in the Ashes series and having no way in reclaiming the urn, head coach Brendon McCullum said that he still wanted to continue at his job but admitted that it’s not really in his hands. England, who had come to the Ashes with much hype, saw their challenge fizzle out after just 3 matches with Australia retaining the urn with 2 matches remaining. McCullum is contracted through to the end of the World Cup in 2027 so would get another opportunity to reclaim the Ashes in a home series that ​year if he stays in his ‌post. “It’s a pretty good gig. It’s good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things. You want to try to get the best out of people. I don’t do anything to protect the job. It’s a matter of ‌trying to just get the very best out of the people,” McCullum was quoted as saying by ​the BBC. “I don’t ‌know. …

‘It’s not really up to me’: Brendon McCullum on if he’ll still be in charge of England for next Ashes series in 2027 | Cricket News

‘I was confident we had it right but obviously we didn’t’: Brendon McCullum admits mistakes after Ashes debacle | Cricket News

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The creed of Bazball was based on supreme self-confidence and an absence of doubt, but after losing the Ashes at the earliest possible stage, England coach Brendon McCullum finally admitted that there may have been some errors in preparation for the series, which he had said would “define” players. Australia were never able to field their first-choice XI in any of the three Tests, but that didn’t prevent them from being too good for the tourists, whose primary aim now would be to avoid a 0-5 debacle. “We haven’t got everything right. I haven’t got everything right as a coach and I put my hand up for that,” McCullum told BBC Test Match Special after the 82-run defeat in Adelaide on Sunday. “It is disappointing when you lose and I’m sure there will be plenty of questions asked and rightfully so.” Not playing practice games on the tour, enjoying a break on the Sunshine Coast after losing the first two Tests, and an emphasis on having a good time while playing cricket created an impression …

‘It doesn’t mean that we throw that plan out’: Brendon McCullum says England are unlikely to move away from aggressive approach in 3rd Ashes Test vs Australia | Cricket News

‘It doesn’t mean that we throw that plan out’: Brendon McCullum says England are unlikely to move away from aggressive approach in 3rd Ashes Test vs Australia | Cricket News

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After losing the second Test match last week and going 2-0 down in the ongoing Ashes series, England coach Brendon McCullum said that there will be no change to the visitors’ Bazball approach, adding that he hoped for a better execution from his players. “We came here with high hopes and high expectations. We had a plan that we felt was going to give ourselves the best chance of being successful. We haven’t quite executed that so far, and Australia has seized those key moments and hence they sit 2-0 up. It doesn’t mean that we throw that plan out. We just need to chisel away at some of the things we haven’t got quite right and make sure that we still have that conviction of what we’re trying to achieve. I think these conditions should suit our style a little bit better as well … this is probably more attuned to our best style of cricket,” McCullum told reporters at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. The 3rd Test of the series will start in the …

‘Over prepared my a**e,’ ‘I’d ask ECB for a refund’: England legends roast Stokes, McCullum after Ashes 2025 Gabba defeat | Cricket News

‘Over prepared my a**e,’ ‘I’d ask ECB for a refund’: England legends roast Stokes, McCullum after Ashes 2025 Gabba defeat | Cricket News

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England legends Darren Gough and Ian Botham did not hold back after the team’s dismal eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the second Ashes Test at Gabba on Sunday, post which the head coach Brendon McCullum reckoned his side “overprepared” in the lead-up to the clash. After putting on 334 on board despite Mitchell Starc’s devastating six-fer in the Pink Ball fixture in their first essay, England’s sloppy bowling effort meant Australia hammered a whopping 511 runs, going in excess of four runs per over. Led by Michael Neser’s five-wicket haul in the second essay, Stokes’ men stumbled to 241 all out, with only the skipper offering some resistance with his half-century. Reflecting on the defeat in a chat with commentators Ricky Ponting and Stuart Broad, McCullum said the team had trained too much after losing the series opener. “We will have a beer tonight. I think leading into this Test match I actually felt like we overprepared to be honest. We had five intense training days and sometimes when you are in the heat of …

Brendon McCullum says England’s Ashes problem is overtraining, plans a beach recovery | Cricket News

Brendon McCullum says England’s Ashes problem is overtraining, plans a beach recovery | Cricket News

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Brendon McCullum figured out England’s main problem after back-to-back eight-wicket losses to Australia in the Ashes: Overdoing it in training. So, needing to win the last three Tests of the series to reclaim the old urn — the symbol of the intense rivalry between England and its former colony — the England coach wants his squad to recharge and recover at one of Australia’s premier beach resorts. In interviews with Australian and British broadcasters, McCullum spoke about the hostile conditions Down Under and said the biggest problem after the heavy series-opening loss in Perth was too much practice before the day-night Test in Brisbane. “Leading into this Test match I felt like we overprepared, to be honest,” he told Australia’s 7 network Sunday night after the eight-wicket loss at the Gabba. “We had five intense training days and I think sometimes when you’re in the heat of the battle, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your (headspace) is completely sound. “I think the boys just need …

Coach Brendon McCullum would be the first to go if England cannot bounce back from Perth defeat, warns Ian Healy | Cricket News

Coach Brendon McCullum would be the first to go if England cannot bounce back from Perth defeat, warns Ian Healy | Cricket News

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Former Australian cricketer, an Ashes legend and pundit, Ian Healy observed that England head coach Brendon McCullum’s head would be the first on the chopping block if the visitors fail to bounce back from the Perth jolt. “The coach would go first before the captain [Ben Stokes] because he’s a world-class player,” he told SEN Radio. “He will be performing – even if they are going down that badly. I think the coach has got to go because they’ve just outright flat batted any advice from others that know the history of the game and what you should try in certain conditions and moments,” he added. He opined that England should use common sense and shun their full-throttle aggression approach. “They’ve taken it upon themselves to do it this way and if it doesn’t work, they will be in trouble. If you want to play this way, you’d want to get better at it. You’re up against the conditions, a good Australian bowling attack and history. You have to have a bit of ticker and …