Cricket: Brendon McCullum wants England to show a bit more humility
England cricket coach Brendon McCullum.
Photo:
Kerry Marshall/www.photosport.nz
England head coach Brendon McCullum said his players must try to show a bit more humility and remember that they are still being judged by how they act away from the cricket field.
McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have championed England's results-oriented approach built primarily on their take-no-prisoners batting style.
While the aggressive brand of cricket won them 11 of the first 12 matches under the leadership pairing, its effectiveness waned and they lost test series in India and Pakistan last year.
In March, England director of cricket Rob Key said players needed to "stop talking rubbish" after some made casual comments about not caring about outcomes.
"It's not just about what you do on the cricket field," McCullum said ahead of their one-off test against Zimbabwe at Nottingham beginning on Thursday.
"It's how you carry yourself. It's how you interact with the public. It's the messaging that you give."
The New Zealander added that he wanted the players "show some humility and not feel out of touch with the general population".
With a home series against India and trip to Australia scheduled later this year, McCullum wanted his team to give fans the same sense of excitement as they did early in his tenure.
"I think people were excited with how we played at the start, enthralled by the free-wheeling cricket we played," he said. "I felt they had a sense of belonging to that type of group.
"But [since then] we have let opportunities slip and perhaps not been as smart as we possibly could with some of our comments to the media."
- Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Ange Postecoglou
Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, the club said on Friday, despite the Australian guiding Spurs to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final last month. Postecoglou will leave two years to the day after his appointment. Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League and book their place in next season's Champions League, but a dismal domestic campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job. "The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place," Spurs said in a statement. "Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. "At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph." Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season, fuelling pressure on the 59-year-old in his second year at the helm. Spurs finished fifth with 66 points in the Australian's first season, helping them earn a place in the Europa League. Many pundits believed their continental triumph might be a lifeline for the manager, while he sounded hopeful himself, telling delighted fans during the team's trophy parade: "In all the best television series, season three is better than season two." But the club's board, who called it one of the "toughest decisions we have had to make," thought otherwise. "We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon," Spurs said in their statement. "We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future - he will always be welcome back at our home." Spurs were hit hard by injuries this past season, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison all missing significant time. Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva have both been linked as potential candidates to replace Postecoglou. -Reuters
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Beckham to be awarded knighthood by King Charles
Former English football player David Beckham. Photo: AFP / PUNIT PARANJPE David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood by King Charles III next week in recognition of his football career and his charity work. The former England football captain is set to be named in the King's Birthday Honours List, according to the BBC and other sources. Other sporting figures who have been awarded the title include Beckham's former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, and British tennis great Andy Murray. The Sun newspaper said he would take the title of "sir" and his wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham. Beckham played 115 times for England as well as for a list of high-profile clubs including United and Real Madrid. He is currently the president and co-owner of US team Inter Miami and co-owner of Salford City, who play in the fourth tier of English football. The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 - a lower award in Britain's honours system. Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry. David Beckham was last month named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential leaders in philanthropy. He is an official ambassador for The King's Foundation, supporting its education programmes and "efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature" and has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005. Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared. In 2017, British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham criticised the honours system and the honours committee, according to the BBC. A spokesman for Beckham said at the time that the emails were "hacked", "doctored" and "private". - AFP
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Rob Walter new Black Caps coach through to 2028 World Cup
The Black Caps have a new head at the helm. With Gary Stead stepping aside, Rob Walter has been appointed Black Caps coach through to the 2028 World Cup. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.
