Aussie great Ryan Harris has risen to the defence of England boss Brendon McCullum, claiming the Kiwi is a ‘good coach’ as a storm of criticism surrounds the Bazballers.
England’s hopes of winning the Ashes for the first time in 14 years Down Under are now hanging by a thread, after the tourists went 2-0 down in the series following their dismal eight-wicket defeat in Brisbane on Sunday.
McCullum’s side have not been spared scrutiny in the wake of their disappointing start to the series, with several former England players tearing into the side for their insistence on playing their aggressive brand of Bazball cricket.
McCullum, meanwhile, raised eyebrows after the second Test by claiming that England had ‘overprepared’ after spending five ‘intense’ days training in the nets. He and the side travelled up to the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday for a brief getaway, with members of the touring squad seen soaking up the rays on Noosa Main Beach, before heading out to enjoy a few low-key beers.
‘That’s very interesting, isn’t it,’ Harris told 2GB’s WWOS, reflecting on McCullum’s claims that England had been training too much.
‘England have just been done again in four days, and by a fair bit.
Former Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris has risen to the defence of England coach Brendon McCullum (pictured)
Harris, who coaches South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, hailed McCullum for sticking by his players after many have criticised Bazball for it’s brash and aggressive brand of play
England went 2-0 down in the Ashes series after the tourists suffered an eight-wicket defeat by Australia at The Gabba on Sunday
‘He [McCullum] reckons they’ve overtrained, that’s strange, especially when they didn’t go to that pink ball game in Canberra.
‘Which I could understand given they were totally different conditions. The change in colour of the ball is not a big deal in this day and age for professionals.
‘It’s definitely interesting to hear him say that sort of stuff and that they overtrained when they’re not getting the performance.’
In the build-up to the second Test, England had been blasted by former captain Michael Vaughan for snubbing the chance to play in a pink-ball warm-up match in Canberra.
While Vaughan claimed that the move was ‘amateurish’, Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column in The Telegraph that the Bazballers were ‘stuck up’ for not changing their style of play to suit the conditions Down Under.
Harris, who took 113 wickets across 27 Tests for Australia, disagreed. The former Brisbane Heat and South Australia head coach instead heaped praise on McCullum for his unwavering support of his players.
‘I think Brendon has really good plans and he sticks up for his players and I think that is the sign of a good coach,’ the former Aussie pace bowler added.
‘They’re just not playing good enough cricket and we’ve got the wood over them at the moment, I guess.
McCullum (pictured) had also ruffled feathers after he appeared to claim that England had ‘overprepared’ for the match, despite opting out of travelling to Canberra for a practice match
Harris (pictured) says he respects McCullum for his ‘calm’ approach, adding that he believes ‘McCullum has some good plans’
‘What I do like about him is he stays calm and they would have had really good plans coming into this tour and obviously it hasn’t gone to plan, but they’re still comfortable with them and seeing them through and that involves a trip to Noosa in the next couple of days.’
McCullum justified the trip to Noosa on Sunday, by stating that the getaway to the Sunshine Coast would allow for the ‘dust to settle’ ahead of the side’s must-win Test in Adelaide, which commences on December 16.
‘Leading into this Test match, I actually felt like we over-prepared, to be honest,’ McCullum said. ‘If anything, we trained too much. That’s something as a coach you have to be aware of. Sometimes there is a tendency to overdo things to make up for it.
‘We had five intense training days. When you’re in the heat of the battle, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches are completely sound.
‘We all have to find a way to ensure we feel prepared, physically and technically, but also to make sure we are fresh and can make those decisions in the heat of the games.’
The England coach added: ‘I think the boys just need a few days off, and probably need to just change up a few of the training methods a little bit.’
The decision to travel to Noosa wasn’t well-received by another former great.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, David Lloyd said: ‘I don’t think I’d be going to Noosa. I’m a bit old-school, it’d be naughty boy nets.
Ben Stokes (left) and McCullum (right) have today travelled up to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast with the squad to spend a few days unwinding after the Brisbane Test
‘There are definite consequences to this. There always has been, there always will be. There will be consequences and those start with those in charge.’
England’s bowlers, meanwhile, have struggled to find wickets across the opening two Tests, notably bowling too short during last week’s match in Brisbane.
Their woes were further compounded on Tuesday morning, after pace bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a knee injury.
England’s other premier fast bowler, Jofra Archer, has, meanwhile, only taken three wickets across the two Tests, with his pace having noticeably dropped off during Australia’s first innings at The Gabba.
Harris believes Archer’s issues relate to his lack of game time in the build-up to this series.
‘He hasn’t played a lot of cricket. He hasn’t even played a lot of white ball cricket, let alone red ball cricket and bowling over after over, that’d be the only thing,’ Harris said.
‘I look at him when he’s chasing the ball around in the field and even when he bowls in his second and third spells, he looks really stiff and sore, which is going to happen if you haven’t played a lot of cricket.
‘That can be the only reasoning behind (why he doesn’t bowl top speed consistently).’
Harris, a former fast bowler, also delivered his verdict on Jofra Archer’s (pictured) struggles this series, claiming that England’s premium pace bowler ‘hasn’t played a lot of cricket’
The Sussex quick made his return to England’s Test side earlier this summer after a four-year absence from the Test side due to a series of injuries including a stress fracture in his elbow.
He came back with a bang, taking a five-for for England against India at Lord’s and another four in their subsequent Test in Manchester.
‘There’s no doubt he’s got it in him, he showed that [during Australia’s second innings in Brisbane] and in the first Test early in spells,’ Harris added.
‘England really needs him to crank it up and be fast. Ben Stokes brought him on for a couple overs during that long first innings and he set short ball fields and Archer bowled slow and he pitched the ball up and you could see the frustration on Stokes’ face.
‘Archer just needs to play more cricket or just come in and bowl shorter spells and just bowl fast.’
England return to face Australia in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on December 16.