Defiant England coach Brendon McCullum brushed off concerns on Sunday that his job was on the line heading into the third Test against Australia, while admitting the team have been “nowhere near” their best.
The tourists were crushed in the first two Ashes Tests in Perth and Brisbane by eight wickets, and only a win at Adelaide Oval this week will be enough to keep the five-match series alive.
McCullum confirmed they would stick with the same top seven, keeping under-fire Ollie Pope at No. 3 rather than bring in Jacob Bethell. “Knee-jerk reactions and chopping and changing settled batting line-ups are not really our way,” he said.
“We know we haven’t got enough runs so far in the series. But for us to go on and win the series, it’s not about throwing out what’s been successful for us over the past few years.”
England’s lack of fight and questionable preparations have drawn scrutiny, while McCullum’s claim that they “trained too much” prior to Brisbane was met with disbelief by former greats.
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