“We are a better team now”

England head coach Brendon McCullum says the team will not abandon its ‘Bazball’ attacking style despite the Ashes defeat to Australia. The former New Zealand skipper said he doesn’t believe in destroying everything after a setback, but is open to adapting and improving.

England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach came under pressure during the Ashes, which ended in a 4-1 defeat. Aside from a single win at the MCG, the style has struggled to deliver consistent results. The series exposed their weaknesses against a disciplined Australian team, raising questions about the approach.

It’s not about ripping up our script – Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum has backed England’s style of play after Ashes defeat. He said the team had improved since he took charge and could not change its approach due to a difficult series. McCullum added that progress should come through improvements.

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“It’s not about completely destroying our storyline. From the time we took over to where we are today, we are a better cricket team. I am offended by [any suggestion I don’t want to evolve]. I’m not against evolution, I welcome it,” Brendon McCullum told Sky Sports.

“I’m not rigid in my beliefs but I have conviction in my methods. That doesn’t mean you’re blind to progress, but throwing away everything that has worked to pursue something completely unknown makes no sense,” he added.

I look forward to continuing in this role – Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum also said he wants to continue leading England despite the Ashes defeat. He said England had a better chance of improving over the next few years. He called the series a missed opportunity but remained confident in the long-term plan.

“I’m looking forward to continuing in this role. Ultimately, these decisions are not up to me, but the lessons that we will learn from this tour and what we have built, it would be a shame to rip them up and pursue something that no one knows if it will be successful,” McCullum said.

“If we stay true to what we believe in, we give ourselves a good opportunity to progress as a team over the next few years. In this series we have been quite poor in key moments so it was a real missed opportunity,” he added.

Brendon McCullum faces growing pressure despite strong debut record

Brendon McCullum began his tenure as England Test coach with 12 wins from 13 matches. However, the team failed to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship in the first three cycles. England have lost six of their first 10 matches in the current WTC cycle and sit seventh in the table.

McCullum remains under contract for another two years and is expected to stay at least until the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. He has overseen 26 victories in 46 Tests, including a historic 3-0 series win in Pakistan, giving England a better win rate than the previous era under Joe Root.

England face a busy Test schedule, with home series against New Zealand and Pakistan followed by tours of South Africa and Bangladesh.

For now, England will focus on white-ball cricket with an upcoming tour of Sri Lanka before opening their T20 World Cup campaign on February 8 against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium.

Also read: England boss announces 2027 Ashes victory in explosive statement after Australia humiliation