McCullum calls on England to improve 'humility'

Head coach Brendon McCullum has called connected England to amended their "humility" arsenic they statesman a twelvemonth that will specify his spell successful charge.

England play a one-off Test against Zimbabwe astatine Trent Bridge connected Thursday, earlier marquee bid astatine location to India and distant successful Australia.

They do truthful aft a mixed winter. McCullum's broadside won a Test bid successful New Zealand 2-1, but mislaid by nan aforesaid scoreline successful Pakistan and endured a wretched clip successful white-ball cricket.

Comments made by nan players successful nan media person often travel nether scrutiny. In March, head of cricket Rob Key said nan players request to "stop talking rubbish", while past period accelerated bowler Mark Wood admitted they tin beryllium "a spot dumb".

Speaking connected Tuesday, New Zealander McCullum said: "It's not conscionable astir what you do connected nan cricket field. It's really you transportation yourself. It's really you interact pinch nan public. It's nan messaging that you give.

"The expertise these guys person to beryllium capable to play connected nan biggest stage, nether nan brightest lights and nan unit that takes is 1 thing, but besides nan expertise to beryllium humble and show immoderate humility and not consciousness retired of touch pinch nan wide organization is thing I'd for illustration to spot america amended on."

McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes took complaint successful 2022 and instantly revolutionised England's style and results. From 1 triumph successful 17 Tests anterior to nan McCullum-Stokes regime, England won 10 of their adjacent 11.

Although they are 2nd successful nan world rankings, England person developed a wont of producing sloppy performances. The last Test successful each of their past 3 bid - against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand - person been dismal losses.

In addition, McCullum is yet to amended limited-overs results since he assumed power of those teams astatine nan opening of nan year. England mislaid each lucifer astatine nan Champions Trophy successful February.

"If we look astatine it astatine nan start, group were excited by nan measurement we played," said erstwhile New Zealand skipper McCullum.

"They were enthralled by nan freewheeling type of cricket and they felt - I'm guessing here- a consciousness of belonging to that type of group.

"With a spot of idle time, we get nan opportunity to retrospectively look astatine things and spot wherever things person been complete nan past fewer years, wherever we've travel from, what we've achieved, opportunities we've fto slip, and besides looking astatine what we've done for nan group that this squad represents."

Allied to nan inconsistent results are nan cognition of nan England squad and immoderate of nan comments they make successful nan media.

During nan Champions Trophy they were criticised for not training capable by erstwhile England skipper Kevin Pietersen, who pointed to their emotion of golf.

Wood said he was irritated by an outer communicative of "golf, golf, golf", while Stokes said nan thought their training is affected by excessively overmuch play is "utter rubbish".

Any disconnect betwixt England and immoderate sections of their fans could besides person been fuelled by comments successful nan media. Batters Ben Duckett and Harry Brook person astir often been blameworthy of clumsy quotes.

McCullum has truthful aligned pinch Key's position that nan players request to return greater attraction pinch their nationalist comments. Individual conversations betwixt guidance and players person taken place, alternatively than corporate instructions fixed to nan group.

"We've conscionable sewage to beryllium a spot smarter pinch immoderate of our comments," said McCullum. "What we opportunity successful that dressing room is often very different to what you expect to travel retired successful a nationalist forum.

"We've sewage we conscionable sewage to beryllium alert of that, smart capable to beryllium capable to make judge that we articulate things erstwhile we get nan opportunity truthful that we don't we don't suffer touch pinch nan English people.

"We want them on for nan ride, peculiarly successful nan adjacent fewer series, which could beryllium rather amazing. We want group to look backmost and say, 'Crikey, that squad successful nan mid-2020s was a hellhole of a squad that we loved following, and we felt arsenic if we were a portion of that travel they went on.'"