Fresh off a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of Australia in the Ashes, England head coach Brendon McCullum was grilled by Nasser Hussain, but what started off as a composed interview soon turned a bit awkward after a question on Baz’s methods. McCullum and ‘Bazball’ have come under heavy scrutiny, but never more than now, with questions asked and fingers pointed at the former New Zealand captain. England have now failed to win their last two Test series – drawing 2-2 against India last August and now losing their fourth straight Ashes series Down Under.
After a series of intriguing questions, Hussain asked McCullum if he was willing to evolve or continue orchestrating the same mode of cricket after the loss. “Can you personally change, or is it the Brendon McCullum philosophy? Can you change your ways, or is this how you’re going to play?”
To which McCullum got a little testy in his answer. “I sort of take offence to that, to be honest, Nas. I have conviction in my methods, but I’m not rigid in my beliefs. When you’re in the chair of being in charge of a team - not just the players, but support staff and management - you need to be very convinced in how you’re going to lead.
“It doesn’t mean that you’re blind to progress and evolution, but you have to have conviction in what you believe in. I have conviction in my methods; it doesn’t mean I’m not rigid in the belief that I think we can continue to grow and progress. But to throw out everything that’s worked and throw out what we’ve been able to achieve over the last little while, in pursuit of something that’s completely unknown, doesn’t make any sense.”
{{/usCountry}}“It doesn’t mean that you’re blind to progress and evolution, but you have to have conviction in what you believe in. I have conviction in my methods; it doesn’t mean I’m not rigid in the belief that I think we can continue to grow and progress. But to throw out everything that’s worked and throw out what we’ve been able to achieve over the last little while, in pursuit of something that’s completely unknown, doesn’t make any sense.”
{{/usCountry}}This wasn’t all. A part of England’s debacle stems from some of the most outrageous shots played by their batters, with Harry Brook and Jamie Smith being the ones to have faced the most criticism. Brook is considered one of the finest young batters in world cricket across formats, so when things go south, his bold approach bears the brunt. McCullum, however, was quick to defend his vice-captain, reminding Hussain of the youngster’s stats.
“For a start, Harry Brook averages 55 in Test cricket. 55. And he plays the same way every time. So he’s a generational talent with a very aggressive game, he knocks bowlers off their legs, he negates the amount of good balls the opposition can bowl,” McCullum added.
“I think there’s a slight misconception because of how he gets out that his input is not significant. 55 is world class. He’s still 26, his best years are in front of him and he’s had a hell of a start to his Test career, and he’s unique in how he goes about it”.