On a damp Brisbane morning Brendon McCullum faced the media with markedly less swagger than when this Test side first came together in 2022. Two defeats by eight wickets – Perth and now the Gabba – have England 2-0 down in an Ashes series that feels as though it may run away from them.
The head coach’s assessment, delivered with a shrug that was half-apology, half-defiance, was simple: he believes his squad “trained too much” in the build-up to the second Test. The line was clipped instantly and, back home, did the rounds in the usual places. Many wondered, out loud, why on earth he had said it. Yet if you have listened to McCullum for any length of time, the logic is familiar. He shields his players, even when the shrapnel lands on him.
“When you’re in positions as we are as captain and coach, you wear a lot of that burden,” he said. “You wear a lot of that responsibility and that’s what you sign up for.”
England’s bubble – some call it a comfort blanket – has been praised for unshackling batters and quicks alike. Over the last three years it has produced those famous chases against New Zealand, India and, for a fleeting, wild fortnight, a comeback from 2-0 down in the 2023 Ashes that nearly turned history on its head. Right now, though, the same cocoon looks flimsy. Too many dismissals have been loose, the bowling plans oddly meek.
McCullum insists the core principles remain sound, pointing to the Hyderabad win in February and the squad’s ability to play their way out of previous holes. “We’ve been here before, 2-0 down, and we came within a bee’s dick of getting ourselves the win, so there’s no point in feeling sorry for yourselves. That ends in all sorts of trouble,” he reminded reporters.
The reaction at home has grown sharper, not least because his contract, extended to 2027 and covering white-ball duties as well, makes the New Zealander an obvious lightning rod. A 5-0 scoreline, unthinkable a month ago, no longer feels far-fetched; if that nightmare plays out, few believe he would see out the deal.
For now the message to the team is to tighten up and ride out the storm. Senior players largely support that stance. Ben Stokes, who had managed to dodge most of the questions the previous evening, nodded in agreement as McCullum spoke. “There’s a fierce determination to succeed in this series, right?” the coach added, before slipping into a story about over-eager net sessions and how, sometimes, the desire to put things right can suffocate natural instinct.
Whether less practice really is the answer is open to debate. Former England opener Mark Butcher, working on radio, called the comments “honest but maybe ill-timed”, while ex-Australia coach Darren Lehmann, never shy of advice, suggested England “need a proper day off – phones off, golf clubs away – then bowl dry for six hours the next”.
Behind the sound-bites sits a selection conundrum. Ollie Pope’s footwork looks scrambled after successive failures, yet McCullum publicly backed him, along with reserve keeper-batter Jamie Smith. “Those two are class. We’re going to keep backing talent,” he said. Expect both to play in Melbourne unless injury intervenes.
The broader criticism, voiced even by sympathetic insiders, is that England no longer appear ready for the graft Test cricket demands. Too many boundary options, not enough leave-alone grit. McCullum acknowledges the balance has tipped, if only slightly. He believes the correction is tactical rather than ideological. “We aren’t ripping up anything,” he stressed. The next week, he says, will be about “staying tight, keeping morale high”. Small-calluses-on-the-hands stuff.
Cricket’s rhythms leave little breathing room. The squad travels to Melbourne tomorrow, with two optional nets and a community visit pencilled in before Christmas Eve. Stuart Broad, part of the Sky commentary team, sees an opportunity. “A Boxing Day Test can flip a series,” he said, noting that the MCG surface has offered early seam movement of late.
The mood in the camp, we’re told, is upbeat if slightly subdued – the equivalent of turning the stereo down rather than switching it off. McCullum remains bullish in that understated Kiwi way, convinced the gap between the sides is not as big as the scoreline suggests. Evidence, however, must now come in whites not words.
Should England lose the third Test the inquests will intensify and the coach, despite his talk of collective responsibility, will feel the heat first. For all the romanticism around positive cricket, the ultimate currency is still results. And at 0-2, the ledgers are a worrying shade of red.
