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England head coach Brendon McCullum has hit back at criticism surrounding the side’s shattering loss in the white-ball tour to India. Notably, England lost the T20I series 4-1 and were whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI leg ahead of the Champions Trophy.
It all came to the fore after former England batter Kevin Pietersen lashed out at the side’s work ethic during the white-ball series.
As per Pietersen, England did not engage in a training session after the first ODI, which took place in Nagpur. He felt it’s fine to engage in activities outside cricket for some time, but the training is necessary to prepare yourself for Indian conditions and the all-important Champions Trophy.
However, McCullum revealed that they had injuries in the camp, which forced them to lighten the workload of the players, with the marquee event, slated to start from February 19. The 43-year-old feels it’s important for the players to remain fresh to perform well in the tournament.
“Firstly, it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train,” McCullum said in an interaction with talkSPORT.
“We’ve done lots of training. We have had injuries in the camp so we’ve backed guys off a little bit to make sure we had a fit team,” he continued.
McCullum also revealed that they have three training sessions scheduled in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy.
“We have three training sessions in Pakistan.
“Guys have come from a lot of cricket and keeping guys fresh is just as important, especially when you have injuries.
“Hopefully in Pakistan we will have a fully fit squad to pick from and we look forward to a fresh challenge. It’s been a tough lesson, but hopefully it’s been great preparation for the tournament.”
Brendon McCullum believes England will be more competitive in Champions Trophy
On being asked whether England could have a deeper run in the Champions Trophy, Brendon McCullum stated his belief of the side’s competitiveness and their improved ability to prevail against spinners. He feels the change in environment in Pakistan might help their cause and help them gain success.
“You’ve got to make sure you maintain that belief in your side and I certainly have belief in us,” McCullum said.
“I believe we’ve got a squad which, if we’re able to put it all together, is as good or as competitive as anyone else, particularly in the conditions that we’ll face in Pakistan.
“We hope maybe a fresh look on different surfaces in a different environment might provide some more answers for us. But I still believe our guys are good players of spin.”
Notably, England struggled badly against Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took 12 wickets in the T20I series. The performances helped him to break into the Champions Trophy squad as well.
