Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, dismissed allegations that the team did not prepare properly in its white-ball tour to India, terming these claims as “factually incorrect.”
Reports in TV commentary during the third ODI had Shastri and Pietersen claiming, except for Joe Root, there was little practice done by any England players during the entire ODI series, which India won 3-0.
“Firstly, it is factually incorrect the whole statement that we don’t train,” McCullum said to talkSPORT after England lost their third ODI here on Wednesday.
“We have trained plenty right throughout, and guys have come from a lot of cricket as well. I think it is an easy thing to have as a throwaway line that guys don’t train enough when the results aren’t right.”
Actually, the Englishmen did practice ahead of the first match in Nagpur but chose to forgo any formal sessions before the second and third ODIs in Cuttack and Ahmedabad.
England lost the last ODI by 142 runs before the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai next week.
Following a 1-4 rout in a T20I series, England subsequently lost the ODI series.
McCullum also had to mention the injuries that have hit the two players – Jacob Bethell (hamstring) and Jamie Smith (calf).
“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 is factually incorrect what has been said and we will stay true to what we believe in,” he added.
But England’s Test coach McCullum, who took charge of the white-ball side just before the India series, did stress how important it is to create a good environment within the team considering the recent setback.
“Ultimately, you’re judged on outcomes… From our point of view, we need to strip away the cloud of failure that results can generate,” he added.
“You allow room in an environment for freedom and clarity of thought to go out there and allow your talent to come out? ‘The guys are pretty fiercely determined and competitive,'” he asked.
In UAE for a little while, England is soon heading to Lahore where they will kick-start their Champions Trophy campaign with a game against Australia on February 22. McCullum said that the squad-building process would continue over this week as well.
“And then we will give the guys a refresh in Abu Dhabi, make sure all the bodies arrive fit and raring to go, and have a full squad to choose from for that first game against Australia,” he said.
“If we do that, hopefully, we walk a little taller, play a little better, and ultimately will get better results as well.”
