Brendon McCullum wants England Test team to reconnect with fans

It was in London two weekends ago, prior to a training camp in Loughborough, that the England Test squad got together to delve into how they are perceived by their supporters.

The conversation ultimately centred around the need to be smarter with their comments in the media, something Rob Key stuck high on the agenda back in March. The men's managing director was sifting through the wreckage of the Champions Trophy when he dropped in that it did not help that players were "talking a lot of rubbish". Ben Duckett's comments that defeat in the preceding series to India did not matter (it did) provided England won the tournament (they didn't) was seemingly the straw that did for the camel's back.

That, along with the team's golf kink, has been a regular topic of conversation in lieu of any international cricket. And it is perhaps because of the discourse that, on the cusp of the men's home summer - beginning with Thursday's one-off Test match against Zimbabwe that leads into a crucial eight months featuring a five-match India series and the winter's Ashes - the group themselves decided to indulge in some meaningful introspection.

"With a bit of idle time, we get the opportunity to retrospectively look at things and see where things have been over the last few years," Brendon McCullum said. The exercise, designed to focus minds, brought a worrying thought to the fore. Rogue comments that suggest a lack of appetite or care mixed in with the odd poor result had created a disconnect between the team and their fans.

"If we look at it at the start, I think people were excited by the way that we played," said McCullum, who has noticed a shift from the first two summers on his watch. "They were enthralled by the freewheeling type of cricket that we played, and - I'm guessing here - but I feel as if they felt a sense of belonging to that type of group.

"But if we look at it, some of the ways that we've probably let opportunities slip, some of the ways that we've maybe not been as smart as what we possibly could with some of our comments in the media and the way that we've addressed a couple of those things…

"I think the thing that we want to do is, in our role, you're not just trying to build cricketers, you're trying to build men for life too. There is going to be mistakes made, and there's going to be periods where guys say things that they don't quite mean and can be misconstrued in a different way. But for us, one of the things that we talk about is we want the English fans to get in behind us.

"It's a great opportunity. It's such a big population, a country that loves cricket, and our responsibility is to try and bring those guys along, to try and inspire the next generation of kids to wanna choose cricket over different sports. And to do that, it's not just about what you do on the cricket field. It's how you carry yourself.

"It's how you interact with the public. It's the messaging that you give. To be able to play on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights and the pressure that takes is one thing. But also the ability to be humble and show some humility and not feel out of reach or out of touch with the general population is something that I'd like to see us improve on."

That McCullum and the team have chosen now to embark on such reflection is no surprise.

McCullum's new role as all-format coach, and the 10 defeats in 11 to kick off his tenure in charge of the white-ball sides, makes him all too aware of the disgruntlement he speaks of. And just as it was in his first summer in 2022, Ben Stokes' Test side can be a conduit for the kind of highs that will wash the face of everyone within the English game.

Even amid the best of the last three years have been moments to test the patience the most ardent supporter. The spurned final Tests in series wins over New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The missed opportunities on the tour of India and, similarly, against Australia at home in 2023. Even the declaration on the opening day of that Ashes grows more misguided with each passing day.

Similarly, it is no coincidence a desire to reconnect with the fanbase has been articulated publicly at a time when support will be needed most. Much like a political party approaching the final year of their term ahead of a make-or-break election, relatability to the public becomes paramount. And while McCullum's "second term" is guaranteed through to 2027, the next eight months will put the Test project - both personnel and approach - on the line.

At this juncture, England are in a good spot. Amid the amid the adoption of certain sensibilities, they are currently No.2 in the ICC Test rankings and boasting a win-percentage record second only to Australia since the start of McCullum and Stokes' union. This, however, is only a springboard.

"When we took on a project like this, it was not about necessarily settling on 'good'," McCullum said. "It was trying to take this team to a level that that we feel that we could take it and I think now's the time, working from a strong base, to be able to shoot for the stars and say, where can we take this team? What can we achieve? And to have the opportunity in front of us over the next six to nine months, is gonna test that out.

"We also want to be a strong representation of the English fans. We want the English fans to feel as if they're a part of this journey with us as a team as well. There's some things we need to do to make sure that we bring everyone along for the ride as well, and that includes winning.

"We want people to look back and say, 'crikey, that team in the mid 2020s was a hell of a team that we loved following, and we felt as if we were a part of that journey'."