McCullum in firing line as England batten down hatches

The viral clip of Liverpool's media manager reacting to Mohammed Salah's explosive mixed zone interaction on Saturday struck a chord over in Brisbane.

Just under 10,210 miles separate Elland Road and the Gabba, where England head coach Brendon McCullum, in the aftermath of a second eight-wicket Ashes defeat, stated he thought the team had trained too much. The sentiments were as far apart as the straight-line distance, but the reaction was still the same: why, oh why, have you gone and said that?

The motivation behind McCullum's comments, which are likely to live in infamy, is far easier to unpick. For this England Test team enjoy the luxury of shelter from the realities of top-level, international sport. A bubble that may be invisible but has long been audible, with the head coach, and, up until his press conference after the second Test, the captain, Ben Stokes, the two prominent voices quipping down missiles headed for their citizens.

Judging by the reactions, McCullum's latest attempt has only attracted more unfriendly fire. Particularly at him. Though his contract runs until 2027, a deal which takes into account his white-ball head coach role, he will likely be first for the block if things go further south. Depending on how badly it goes - who can rule out 5-0 right now? - he won't be the only collateral.

"When you're in positions as we are as captain and coach, you wear a lot of that burden," McCullum said. "You wear a lot of that responsibility and that's what you sign up for."

Of course, that coddling of their players does not seem helpful right now. In taking away the stresses and strains of Test cricket, England seem to lack the on-field appreciation that this is supposed to be hard. It is supposed to hurt. The struggle is real, even six days into a five-match Test series.

You would not wish adversity upon anyone. But in life, one way or another, it comes for us all. What you do wish, above all else, is that the people you care for are equipped to deal with such adversity.

The merits of the McCullum and Stokes approach - and, by proxy, managing director Rob Key - are hard to remember at this juncture. But it's worth trying.

For starters, it is worth considering that first summer in 2022, when a team who had won one in 17 successfully pulled off four of their top 15 biggest chases. That included a new best of 378 against India, who also found themselves on the wrong end of the second-highest earlier this year.

We can throw in the victory in Hyderabad and, more presciently, the comeback from 2-0 down during the last Ashes series. Ultimately, McCullum has made a home in the intersection of the sports psychology Venn diagram, nestled between what players need to hear and what they want to hear. Suggesting that five days of training leading into the Gabba Test might have been over the top plays on that idea that they wanted it too much.

"There's a fierce determination to succeed in this series, right?" McCullum said. "Sometimes that can get in your own way, clouds your judgement or affects your ability to make the right decisions in the right moments.

"It's a really fine balance between being fiercely driven, competitive and desperate to succeed, and that getting in the way of yourself.

"It's the coaches' job to find that balance in them as well. I firmly believe it's not training five days straight in sapping conditions as the answer. We need to keep a little bit in the tank physically, a little bit in the tank emotionally, to be able to allow yourself to embrace the conditions you're being challenged with.

"When you come to Australia, it's such a stark contrast in each ground you go to and the surfaces you play on, you can't just have one set preparation. You need to make sure you're ready for whatever is coming and adapt to it. I didn't think we were quite good enough at that in this Test with either bat or ball."

McCullum subsequently went on to back Ollie Pope, England's No. 3 under Stokes and, from 2023 until this tour, their vice-captain. A promising 46 in the first Test at the Optus Stadium, featuring plenty of straight drives that suggested better balance and alignment, was followed by 33, 0 and 26. All four innings ended with wince-inducing dismissals that suggested in-play, in-series regressions despite a lot of hard work in the lead-up. Nevertheless, McCullum - unsurprisingly - is sticking by his man.

"I think most people were frenetic outside off stump on this pitch tonight," he said, which actually makes you wonder why England did not sit on that line during Australia's mammoth first-innings of 511. "Popey has been number three. He's done well. He's averaged 40 odd [40.58] for us. He's our number three here in Australia."

There was greater support for another Surrey man, Jamie Smith. The newest member of the top seven, the wicketkeeper's arrival into the team at the start of 2024 was as the best of two worlds, between the glovework of Ben Foakes and the outlandish strokeplay of Jonny Bairstow. Right now, he is falling well short of both.

A dropped catch off Travis Head and innings of 0 and 4 were the latest extensions of a batting decline that may be attributed to crouching behind the stumps far more than he is used to. Since the start of the summer, he has kept wicket for 1,375.3 overs across eight Tests. That amounts to around a third of what he has done for his entire first-class career for his county.

Having begun the home series with India with scores of 40, 44, 184 not out, 88 and 5, he has averaged 10.14 in the next seven innings.

"He's a flair player, and he likes to approach the game in a simple way," McCullum said. "He works very hard on his game, but he also has the courage and conviction, when he feels he's given himself the best chance. It doesn't guarantee everything but I'm sure he'll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch."

That might not be music to the ears of those who feel both are problems to address, particularly Pope. But it will tell them and the rest of the squad - including those yet to see action - that the vibes, at least, remain tight.

"One thing we won't be changing is the language in the dressing room, the way we approach the game and the style we've tried to operate with," McCullum said.

"Ultimately, you can't afford to flinch when come down here. This is not a country to start doubting yourself or to walk away from the challenge. You can't have a glass jaw when you get to Australia. You've got to get up and go on.

"The skill level among various players all around the world, there isn't a stark contrast. It's those who are able to handle the big moments, able to read conditions quickly and able to adapt, problem-solve situations - they are the ones to excel. If anything, our boys need a freshen up. A few days away wouldn't be the worst thing."

As the tide goes against them, England will head to the surfers' paradise of Noosa and try and get back on the board. That they will be joined by journalists and photographers looking for the latest pound of flesh will not deter them from cutting loose and expending the nervous energy that comes with a nine-day lead into the third Test in Adelaide.

Typically, McCullum sees the pressure on himself and Stokes as something to savour. After all, it can't go on like this, can it?

"Look, that's the thing; the captain and I, this is the fun stuff, right? Again, you don't get to feel sorry for yourselves and both of us stress that. We're both tough blokes who have been in this kind of pressure in your own careers or your own stages in your own lives. You've been in tough situations and there's only one way to go about it and that's to have that belief in yourself and trust those around you who you believe in. Make sure you stay tight, keep morale high within the group and keep getting towards what you're trying to achieve."

If the coach and captain seemed worlds apart on Sunday night in the aftermath of defeat - McCullum chipper, Stokes spent - they will use the coming three-day break to realign themselves before flying to Adelaide on Saturday. The fightback starts here. The hard work, well, that will start at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

"We've been here before, 2-0 down," said McCullum looking to 2023, "and we came within a bee's dick of getting ourselves the win, so there's no point in feeling sorry for yourselves. That ends in all sorts of trouble.

"Just pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, sharpen off a few of the rough areas and keep heading towards the target."