Former Australian cricketer, an Ashes legend and pundit, Ian Healy observed that England head coach Brendon McCullum’s head would be the first on the chopping block if the visitors fail to bounce back from the Perth jolt. “The coach would go first before the captain [Ben Stokes] because he’s a world-class player,” he told SEN Radio.
“He will be performing – even if they are going down that badly. I think the coach has got to go because they’ve just outright flat batted any advice from others that know the history of the game and what you should try in certain conditions and moments,” he added.
He opined that England should use common sense and shun their full-throttle aggression approach. “They’ve taken it upon themselves to do it this way and if it doesn’t work, they will be in trouble. If you want to play this way, you’d want to get better at it. You’re up against the conditions, a good Australian bowling attack and history. You have to have a bit of ticker and a bit of common sense in amongst what they’re doing. If not, they’re going to get hurt. If they go down badly, whether that’s 4-1, 4-0 or 5-0, look out,” he said.
He was shocked at how England cricketers had dead-batted the advice of former pros. “It’s quite incredible that they are dismissing so many well-credentialed people. Michael Vaughan came out and did it in Australia. The last time they were in Australia, they gave themselves a month of preparation, not two weeks on a club wicket,” he pointed out.
McCullum, though, is bullish about England’s comeback prospects. “We know how big this series is. We know how many eyeballs are on it and how disappointed the fans will be. We’re incredibly disappointed ourselves. We’re better than what we showed and we look forward to the next opportunity.
“Keep the faith,” he repeated. “Sometimes we get beaten and it looks pretty ugly, but there are times when having that type of mentality allows us to still believe in our abilities when we step out to play. There are times we don’t get it right, but we have to believe in what we believe in because it gives us the best chance. Just because we are one down in the series doesn’t change what we believe in. We have to stay calm, stay together, and plot our way back into this series, as we have done before,” he added.
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