- McCullum says England have been “gutted” after three consecutive defeats but draws lessons for his team. England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum admitted his side fell short in two contrasting defeats and pointed to the ODI World Cup in South Africa as motivation to improve.
- Brendon McCullum.
- (Photo source: Gareth Copley/) England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum has described his players as “gutted” after their second consecutive defeat in the current three series and admitted the team has clear problems ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup in South Africa.
McCullum says England have been “gutted” after three consecutive defeats but draws lessons for his team. England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum admitted his side fell short in two contrasting defeats and pointed to the ODI World Cup in South Africa as motivation to improve.
Brendon McCullum. (Photo source: Gareth Copley/) England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum has described his players as “gutted” after their second consecutive defeat in the current three series and admitted the team has clear problems ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup in South Africa. England were unable to defend a total of 429 against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi and then in Lahore on Sunday they scored 241, a score which McCullum himself admitted was lower than required.
Pakistan were reduced to 154 for 9 but England’s bowlers could not finish the job. Shadab Khan, along with Haris Rauf, scored an unbeaten 113 in a final wicket stand, completing a remarkable heist and handing England their second consecutive defeat. Asked whether England had been unlucky in the two games or simply not good enough, McCullum had no hesitation in choosing the latter.
“Every time you lose, it’s obvious that you weren’t good enough to win. So it’s clear that you still have a lot of work to do. It’s so different, the [two] games too.
I think from a coach’s perspective there are things you can look at and say these guys have experienced different types of games where the pressure is really at its highest. And you start thinking about how to make sure you give them time. And not just in terms of how you hit, throw, or throw on the field, but also how you stay calm, keep your balance, and how you start plotting, planning, and navigating through those pressure-filled moments.
So those will be the conversations we will have over the next few days,” McCullum said after the game, as quoted by Cricbuzz. Why does McCullum believe experience is England’s greatest asset? McCullum stressed that the lack of visibility at big games within his current squad was a major problem.
Of the 11 players present on Sunday, only four, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Gus Atkinson and Harry Brook, have peared in an ODI World Cup match. “I thought [tonight] was another big lesson for us. If you come to the game late and are running behind, how can you find a way to allow the stopped hitter to have as much access to the ball as possible while remaining calm, and ultimately put pressure on the opponent late in the game?” So there are some good lessons.
There are good learning opportunities. And we will learn from it. Because we really want to go to South Africa and have a realistic chance of qualifying for this World Cup,” explained McCullum.
With the next World Cup on the calendar in around 12 months, McCullum was candid about England’s position, saying the team needed more games. “I think our guys are inexperienced. And we know that in 12 months there is a major World Cup on the calendar where, to be serious challengers, we are willing to openly admit that we need to improve.
And we need to get these guys experience as quickly as possible,” he said. McCullum acknowledged that it would have been better to gain that experience through winning games, but argued that the two recent defeats had real educational value. Sri Lanka’s successful chase of 429 in Rawalpindi and Pakistan’s chase of 154 for 9 in Lahore each offered a different model for dealing with pressure situations and he said England’s players had to cope with both.
What did McCullum learn from Shadab Khan’s innings and what should England do next? McCullum drew particular attention to Shadab’s unbeaten 113, which was only the third ODI century recorded by a batsman at No. 8. He portrayed the move as a lesson his young players could learn immediately.
“I thought it was an incredibly balanced innings and full of cricketing intelligence. And I also thought his ability to manipulate his path to get enough access to the ball and hit it along the tail was a great example for our guys who are still young and inexperienced,” he said. Having lost all three games of the tri-series so far, England’s path to the final is no longer in their hands.
They have to beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then rely on Pakistan to beat the other team a few days later, with net run rate also likely to play a role if results go their way.
