England head coach Brendon McCullum has rejected claims that his players haven’t taken their preparation seriously on the tour of India, saying it is “factually incorrect” that his team hasn’t done enough training during the ODI and T20I series, both of which England lost decisively to India.
During the live commentary of the 3rd ODI, a discussion between Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen ensued. Pietersen claimed that, with the exception of Joe Root, the team had not been in the nets during the 2nd and 3rd ODIs, having opted out after practicing before the 1st ODI in Nagpur.
With the Champions Trophy looming, England’s form with both bat and ball is a concern, as the visitors lost the 3rd ODI in Ahmedabad by a margin of 142 runs and also lost the series 3-0. England have struggled with injuries; all-rounder Jacob Bethell is ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 due to a hamstring injury, while Jamie Smith is nursing a sore calf.
McCullum Says “Factually Incorrect” on England’s Preparation
“Firstly, it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train,” McCullum told talkSPORT after the third ODI. “We’ve trained plenty right throughout, guys have come from a lot of cricket as well. I think it’s an easy thing to have as a throwaway line that guys don’t train enough when the results aren’t right.
“But we’ve got a style and a method that we believe in. We’ve got guys who are battling injuries and trying to make sure that we’ve got enough bodies out on the field, knowing that we’ve got a huge assignment coming up in a week or two. Ultimately it’s factually incorrect what’s been said and we’ll stay true to what we believe in.”
“I’ve learned a lot,” McCullum said. “There’s guys in our England team who are incredibly talented, if we can add a little bit of craft and give ourselves a bit of confidence within the dressing room, which is ultimately the task of us as coaches, then we’ll see some of that talent will flourish. It’s been a good tour, so much good will come from it, albeit the results are very disappointing. But that’s the nature sometimes when you come up against a very good side in their own conditions.
“Ultimately you’re judged on results,” McCullum added. “From our point of view, we’ve got to strip away the fear of failure that results can bring. Guys are fiercely determined and competitive… how do you allow an environment to provide the freedom and clarity of thought to go out there and allow your talent to come out?
“That’s what we’re trying to do in the group we’re building and that’s what we’ll try and do over the next week as well, give the guys a freshen-up in Abu Dhabi, make sure all the bodies are fit and ready to go, we’ve got a full squad to pick from come that first game against Australia. We do that, hopefully we walk a little taller and play a little better and end up getting better results as well.”
Butler Rejects Claims of Lack of Effort
England captain Jos Butler also rejected claims that his team was taking the tour casually, saying, “We have worked incredibly hard on this tour,” and dismissing reporters’ suggestions of a lack of effort.
“We’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days,” Buttler said. “There have been a couple of times we have not trained but we have done plenty of training throughout the tour. We try to create a really good environment but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or lack of effort. The guys are desperate to perform and do well and improve.”
