Brendon McCullum: No chance England can win Ashes with ‘glass jaw’ in Australia
The window of opportunity in one of the most hotly anticipated series in years is fast disappearing.
Brendon McCullum has told his England side they cannot show Australia a “glass jaw” as they attempt to drag their Ashes campaign back from the brink.
The window of opportunity in one of the most hotly anticipated series in years is fast disappearing, with defeats in Perth and Brisbane handing the hosts a 2-0 lead with three Tests to play.
England have been here before, drawing the 2023 home series from a similar predicament and only missing out on outright victory because of a two-day downpour at Old Trafford.
Head coach McCullum is desperate for the tourists to come out fighting when battle resumes in Adelaide next Wednesday and insists showing any fragility could lead to a knockout blow.
“You don’t get to feel sorry for yourself if things don’t work out. You have to get up and go again,” he said.
“You come to this country and have a glass jaw, you have no chance. You have to be strong, tough, and you have to get on with it. Ultimately, you can’t afford to flinch when you come down here. This is not a country to start doubting yourself or to walk away from the challenge.
“You don’t get to feel sorry for yourself in this game. I don’t do feeling sorry for yourself.”
McCullum risked riling the critics with his suggestion that England had ‘overtrained’ ahead of their grilling at the Gabba, but remains convinced five consecutive sessions in the nets were too many.
Three practice slots are booked in Australia but not before the group head to the Sunshine Coast for a break in Noosa.
While there will be no chance of catching drills or deep technical analysis in that time, captain Ben Stokes has said important discussions will be had along the way in a bid to plot the way forward.
Some of those will surely concern selection, with the likes of Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse all facing questions over their output.
Wholesale changes are basically impossible given the make-up of the 16-man squad, but the management must decide if any of those players are unlikely to bounce back. Jacob Bethell stands by as the reserve batter, and made 71 in England Lions’ defeat by Australia A this week, with Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts the spare quicks.
Pope has spent most of the last year looking over his shoulder and was guilty of two deeply disappointing dismissals in Brisbane. He may yet be sacrificed in a bid to freshen things up but McCullum suggested that was not a done deal.
“Popey has been number three. He’s done well. He’s averaged 40-odd for us and he’s our number three here in Australia,” he said.
“I’ve stressed that we have the squad that we’ve got. There’s no sense looking elsewhere. We’re comfortable with what we’ve got. We’re right here, we’re confident in everyone, and that hasn’t changed. We’ve just got to find ways to go to get ourselves back into this contest.”
McCullum also offered support to wicketkeeper Smith, who averages 13 from his four knocks on tour, dropped one simple catch and bailed out of another.
“Smudge had a tough game, didn’t he? This one, probably highlighted by how good (opposite number) Alex Carey was behind the stumps,” he said.
“He’s a flair player and he likes to approach the game in a simple way but he works very hard on his game. He also has the courage and conviction. It doesn’t guarantee everything but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch.”
