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21 hours ago
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Ben Stokes has backed Brendon McCullum’s continuation as head coach despite England’s 4-1 Ashes thrashing in Australia. McCullum, in turn, has accepted the need for improvement but will push back if he is told what to do.
“If I’m asked my opinion he’ll be getting my full support and backing,” Stokes said after England’s five-wicket defeat at the Sydney Cricket Ground. “I absolutely love working with Baz. He’s a great man and he’s a very, very, very good coach. There’s more that goes on behind the scenes than he’ll ever give away or let out. So, yeah, he’s got my full support.”
Losing Ashes tours have traditionally led to bloodletting in the captaincy, coaching and administrative tiers. Stokes looks by far the most secure, and he confirmed at the end of play that, despite injury and diminishing returns with the bat, he has no intention of leaving his post.
He said: “I am definitely keen as anything to carry on. I love having a challenge throwing thrown at me and at the moment, the challenge is getting the team back to where we once were in terms of the performances that we were delivering.”
McCullum appears safe before the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka that starts in February – plus a tour of Sri Lanka that serves as a warm-up – but in the aftermath of the loss in Australia, England and Wales Cricket Board announced it was already undertaking a review.
Richard Gould, the chief executive, has said this will include “planning and preparation, individual performance and behaviours, and our ability to adapt and respond effectively as circumstances require.”
This may result in a pinch point down the line, with McCullum set on his methods and sounding like he will reject any suggestions that compromise them. “I am not against assistance but have a firm belief in how to get the best out of these players,” the New Zealander told BBC Sport.
“I will look at it individually and say ‘what could I have done better?’ Am I for being told what to do? Of course I am not. But at the same time I’m not thinking there won’t be areas to improve.”
Stokes’s commitment to the Test captaincy was to be expected but, reflecting on the tour, he also admitted that his team has been tactically found out by opponents in recent contests and unable to adapt in turn.
He said: “We are now playing against teams who have answers to the style of cricket that we have been playing over quite a long period of time now. In the first couple of years, teams found it difficult to try and come up with anything to combat the way that we played. But now teams are coming up with plans that are actually standing up to a certain style of cricket that we want to play.
“You can see in moments throughout the series that when we’ve been positive and we have taken a few risks it has paid off in our favour, but there have been moments in games throughout the series and even before that, where we’ve almost gifted the flow of the game back to the opposition.”
At one point Stokes even suggested England would now go “back to the drawing board”, although for now the detail of this appears to be confined to having “honest discussions”, including honest discussions with himself.
He said: “ When things haven’t gone well that filters throughout the whole group. Even myself, I’ve not been up to levels I expected of myself as an all round player as a captain as well. But I can tell that to myself. There’s nothing wrong with being truthful to yourself, and there’s also nothing wrong with being truthful to your teammates as well. Speaking the truth and saying stuff people don’t want to hear is sometimes the best thing.”
Stokes insisted that his current dressing room still contains “the best players in England” and paid tribute to the “warrior spirit” of Brydon Carse in particular after finishing the tour with 22 wickets.
He added: “Brydon Carse has played five Test matches, he’s run in every single time and given his absolute all and he has not shied away from any situation. Josh Tongue bowled I don’t know how many overs, he had to pick up a slack when I got injured and then he came in again today.
“So in terms of this warrior tag that people get given, I think everyone does that when you pull the England shirt on. I don’t think anyone can question what some of the guys have done, especially with the ball. I’ve not seen anyone not giving their absolute everything every single time.”
