Ashes: Why Brendon McCullum is confident going into Brisbane Test after Perth loss

The Perth Test may have ended in two days, but both of those days showed just how close this series could get and how a change in approach could be pivotal in a loss turning into a win.

New Zealand coach Brendon McCullum in picture. (FILE/Reuters)

Stay calm, stay together… keep the faith. England head coach Brendon McCullum has asked for his players to keep their heads up and trust in the plans they have in store for the Brisbane Test, after the opening Ashes Test match in Perth ended in a loss for the English.

The Perth Test was set to be a hotly contested match on the back of England coming to Australian shores with a battery of pace options. And when that group of bowlers took down Australia in the first innings for 123, it seemed like England’s superior run rate in the first innings, and their bowling, might win them the first Test. But then Travis Head put up a fine ton in testing conditions, scoring at a fast clip and taking the game away from England.

The Perth Test may have ended in two days, but both of those days showed just how close this series could get and how a change in approach could be pivotal in a loss turning into a win.

“The last few years we’ve built a setup which is really connected, it’s tight, and it plays a style of cricket that we believe gives us our best chance. If we go away from that, then we’re in trouble. If we’re able to seize the key moments that separate the wins and the losses, then I have complete confidence that we’ll be a live chance in this series,” said McCullum in Perth, according to the Guardian.

“This is the fun stuff, right? When you’re under the bat and things haven’t quite worked out, that’s when your methods are tested, and that’s when you’ve got to stay calm as a leader, you’ve got to keep plotting the path and the way forward, and keep the boys’ eyes on the prize,” he added.

England next face Australia in Brisbane on December 4.

“We know how big this series is. We know how many eyeballs are on it, we know how disappointed all the fans will be, and we’re incredibly disappointed ourselves. We’re better than what we showed in the last four hours of Saturday, and we look forward to the next opportunity,” said McCullum.