New Delhi [India], February 14 (ANI): After crumbling to successive one-sided series defeats, England head coach Brendon McCullum dismissed the suggestion that his players were not taking preparation seriously for the white-ball tour of India saying it was “factually incorrect.”
Unlike its explosive debut in Test format, ‘Bazball’ was cut to a frail figure in its maiden appearance in limited-overs action. With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, England fell to a 3-0 whitewash in the ODIs right after being outclassed 4-1 in the T20I leg.
England’s fashion of defeat became a hot topic for debate after the players got exposed for their lack of training.
During a conversation between commentators Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen for the third ODI between the two sides, it was claimed that apart from Joe Root, English players did not turn to nets for the ODI series.
England players trained before the series opener in Nagpur and eventually elected not to follow the pattern for the next two ODIs.
“Firstly, it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train. We’ve trained plenty right throughout, and the guys have come from a lot of cricket as well. I think it’s an easy thing to have as a throwaway line that guys don’t train enough when the results aren’t right,” McCullum told talkSPORT after the third ODI, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
“But we’ve got a style and a method that we believe in. We’ve got guys who are battling injuries and trying to make sure that we’ve got enough bodies out on the field, knowing that we’ve got a huge assignment coming up in a week or two. Ultimately, it’s factually incorrect, what’s been said, and we’ll stay true to what we believe in,” he added.
After the Three Lions got blown away with a 142-run defeat in the third ODI in Ahmedabad, England captain Jos Buttler also refuted the notion that England’s poor string of results was due to their “lack of effort.”
“We’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days. There have been a couple of times we have not trained, but we have done plenty of training throughout the tour. We try to create a really good environment but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or lack of effort. The guys are desperate to perform and do well and improve,” Buttler had said.
McCullum is still new to serving as England’s white-ball head coach. He took over the job in January after enjoying a fruitful run as red-ball head coach.
In his first experience of limited-overs action against India, McCullum learned valuable lessons ahead of the Champions Trophy, which begins next week in Pakistan.
England will spend the next couple of days in Dubai before heading to Pakistan for their campaign opener against arch-rival Australia on February 22.
“I’ve learned a lot. There are guys in our team who are incredibly talented, if we can add a little bit of craft and give ourselves a bit of confidence within the dressing room, which is ultimately the task of us as coaches, then we’ll see some of that talent will flourish. It’s been a good tour, so much good will come from it, albeit the results are very disappointing. But that’s the nature sometimes when you come up against a very good side in their own conditions,” McCullum said
“Ultimately, you’re judged on results. From our point of view, we’ve got to strip away the fear of failure that results can bring. Guys are fiercely determined and competitive… how do you allow an environment to provide the freedom and clarity of thought to go out there and allow your talent to come out?” he added. (ANI)
