Brendon McCullum makes his feelings clear after calls for sacking grow after England Ashes humiliation
Brendon McCullum has expressed his wish to remain at the helm of England’s Test side, despite the Ashes slipping away after merely 11 days of cricket.
The former New Zealand captain had previously described the Australian tour as “the biggest series of all our lives”, yet crushing losses in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide have shattered any hopes of reclaiming the urn.
His predecessor, Chris Silverwood, was removed from the role following a 4-0 defeat on the previous Ashes tour four years ago, setting a precedent that failure in Australia carries significant consequences.
McCullum wants to lead a rebuilding effort following a dismal campaign.
The head coach said his future was “up to other people”, as questions now mount over who is responsible for England’s latest capitulation Down Under.
Managing director of cricket Rob Key, who appointed McCullum to the position, occupies the tier directly above the head coach and is himself facing difficult scrutiny regarding his own future.
Chief executive Richard Gould holds ultimate authority over any decisions concerning the coaching setup and wider cricketing leadership structure at the ECB.
Asked if he would still be in charge at the start of the English summer, he said: “I don’t know. It’s not really up to me, is it?”
Brendon McCullum has expressed his wish to remain at the helm of England’s Test side
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He added: “I’ll just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that we haven’t quite got right here and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me.
“Sometimes you don’t win, and then those decisions are up to other people. It’s a pretty good gig, it’s good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things.
“I don’t do anything to protect the job, for me it’s a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them. I’m enjoying the time that I’ve got with these guys and I think we’ve made some progress from when I took over to where we are.
“We’re not the finished article, but I think we’ve definitely improved as a cricket team. We’ve had an identity about us.”
The head coach accepted his portion of responsibility for the series defeat
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REUTERSThe England coach continued: “You’re always looking at what you’ve got right and what you’ve got wrong, and you’re not too ignorant to admit – or too arrogant either – that you get some things wrong.
“(It’s OK) as long as you don’t keep making the same mistakes.”
England is now preparing for the final two games, starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day and moving on to Sydney for the New Year Test.
A loss in both may make it impossible for any of the key decision-makers to hold off the tide.
Five things to know about The Ashes | PAMcCullum said: “Now’s the time for us, in the last two Tests, to really show our identity.”
“What I’m trying to achieve with this team, and what the skipper’s trying to achieve, is to try and finish this tour with some pride salvaged from what’s been pretty disappointing so far.
“I’ll always have the back of my players, and always support them, and I’ll always make sure that I’m protective of them as well in a public forum. That doesn’t mean you don’t challenge privately, but in a public forum, you’re always protective.
“I wouldn’t imagine anything would change in the coming days as we look to try and salvage something from this. I have conviction in the style of cricket that I try to get the teams to play, with the players that you’ve got who are suited to it.”
