Brendon McCullum Stands Behind Crawley, Demands Stronger Belief from England

England is currently facing the heat of the fans after losing the first Ashes test badly. A major part of the criticism is directed towards their batting, which has disappointed many fans back home. They got out cheaply in both innings of the match, giving no competition to the Australian bowlers.

The English opener, Zak Crawley, is getting more criticism because he scored ducks in both innings of the match. This is certainly a concerning thing for England, because they have invested a lot in Crawley for this series. They need him to fire at the start, as his runs are crucial for giving the team a solid foundation.

The head coach of England, Brendon McCullum, has come out in support of the batters, particularly Zak Crawley. He said the team has a strong belief in Crawley’s ability to score big runs for England in the upcoming matches. He further added that the conditions in Australia suit Crawley’s batting style, so he can score plenty of runs here.

"We believe he is a quality player," McCullum said, when asked if Crawley was undroppable. "Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.” said England head coach, Brendon McCullum.

He further said that Zak Crawley has been with the England team for a long time. He has now formed a good partnership with Ben Duckett, so leaving him out at this stage would certainly not be appropriate. Considering his abilities, McCullum expects Crawley to bounce back with a strong performance.

"He's been around this group for a long time, he's done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I'd expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn't. But that's life. If he can get going, he can do some damage." said Brendon McCullum.

England received a strong hammering from Travis Head on Day 2 of the Perth test. After watching his batting, McCullum has become even more convinced that taking on the bowlers smartly is the right strategy to follow. He gave a similar answer to a question that asked how England batters could have played differently to score more runs.

"Maybe just back away and slay it over point, or slog it to cow? I'm not saying they didn't go hard enough, but there was a player [Head] who had total conviction in his method and has done it across different formats and on different stages over the last few years.” said Brendon McCullum.

He also spoke about the importance of conviction. He urged England’s batters to play with confidence and stick to the methods they have practiced in the nets. This is the cornerstone of their approach, which has so far produced good results in test cricket.

"'Have conviction' - that's been what we've said. Choose a method and have conviction in it. If it works then great. But if it doesn't at least you've done it your way." said Brendon McCullum.

Need to Move Away from Perth Loss

Speaking about the Perth loss, he said the whole team is quite disappointed after that performance. He also acknowledged the disappointment of the English fans, who had turned up in large numbers to support their team in Australia.

"We will let the dust settle, but we are bitterly disappointed for us, but also all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well here and we know we will be throughout the series.” said Brendon McCullum.

He then said that England can’t carry this disappointment into the next game. They need to move on from the Perth loss and focus on preparing for the upcoming challenge. He is confident that the camaraderie within the team will help them move forward, as it will be needed the most in the coming days.

"We can't carry this one onto the next. We've been trying to insulate against things going wrong for a while. For us that connectivity and camaraderie is something we pride ourselves on. We will need it over the next few days." concluded Brendon McCullum.