England head coach Brendon McCullum has said the team will not abandon its aggressive “baseball” style of play despite the Ashes defeat against Australia. The former New Zealand captain said that he does not believe in destroying everything after a setback but is ready to adapt and improve.
England’s aggressive “buzzball” approach came under pressure during the Ashes, which ended in a 4–1 defeat. Apart from one win at the MCG, Shelly struggled to deliver consistent results. The series exposed his weaknesses against a disciplined Australian team, raising questions about the approach.
It’s not about destroying our script – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum backs England’s style of play after Ashes defeat. He said that the team has improved since he took charge and we cannot change our approach because of a difficult series. McCullum said progress must come from reform.
“This is not about destroying our script completely. From when we took over to where we are today, we are a better cricket team. I object to this [any suggestion I don’t want to evolve]Brendon McCullum told Sky Sports, I am not against development, I welcome it,
He said, “I’m not rigid in my beliefs, but I’m sure of my methods. That doesn’t mean you’re blind to progress, but there’s no point in throwing away everything that’s worked for you in pursuit of something completely unknown.”
I am looking forward to playing this role – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum also said that he wants to remain the head coach of England despite the Ashes defeat. He said that England has a better chance to improve in the next few years. He described the series as a missed opportunity but remained confident in the long-term plan.
McCullum said, “I look forward to continuing in this role. These decisions are not ultimately up to me, but given the lessons we will learn from this tour and it would be a shame to break what we have built and pursue something that no one knows whether it will be successful or not.”
He said, “If we stay true to our beliefs we give ourselves a good chance to progress as a team over the next few years. In this series, we have been quite poor in important moments, so it’s really been a missed opportunity.”
Brendon McCullum faces increasing pressure despite strong opening record
Brendon McCullum started his tenure as England’s Test coach with 12 wins from 13 matches. However, the team failed to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship in the first three cycles. England have lost six of their first 10 matches in the current WTC cycle and are placed seventh in the standings.
McCullum will remain under contract for two more years and is likely to stay at least until the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. They have registered 26 wins in 46 Test matches, including a historic 3-0 series win in Pakistan, giving England a better win rate than the previous era under Joe Root.
England face a busy Test schedule ahead, including home series against New Zealand and Pakistan followed by tours to South Africa and Bangladesh.
For now, England will focus on white-ball cricket with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka before starting their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on February 8.
Also read: After humiliation in Australia, England boss announces Ashes 2027 victory in explosive statement