Nasser Hussain has called for more honesty from Brendon McCullum after the Test series defeat to New Zealand further highlighted England’s attention-to-detail crisis.
There was to be no fairy-tale ending for Ben Stokes on the day the curtain fell on his captaincy, as England slumped to a 160-run defeat at Trent Bridge that saw New Zealand clinch a 2-1 series victory.
It was England’s seventh Test defeat in nine matches, a run that stretches back to the infamous fifth-Test defeat to India at The Oval last August and through a disastrous Ashes campaign last winter.
McCullum has remained upbeat throughout a tumultuous period that has seen his ‘Bazball’ philosophy challenged to its very core, defending tactics which have cost his side during the series – such as the use of short balls to the New Zealand tail at The Oval and the ultra-aggressive batting approach on the evening of day four in Nottingham.
But former England captain Hussain wants more matter-of-factness in the coach’s outlook.
“England have lost seven out of nine Test matches. You can’t hide behind that,” he told Sky Sports Cricket.
“Brendon always comes across very positive and full of energy. I’d like a little bit more honesty at times.
“Like the last Test at The Oval, where he was asked about the plans – that one hour on the third day for the tail – and he said the plans were OK. They weren’t. They got the plans wrong.
“He was asked about the batting line-up [at Trent Bridge], and he said it’s all about, ‘when the ball was hard, that’s a good time to score’. Well, actually, when the ball was hard was the difficult time to bat.
“England needed someone to play like Daryl Mitchell and grind out a score, so that today when it was a bit easier – as Jamie Smith showed – you can go out and smash it.”
‘Lack of attention to detail’
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Highlights from day five of the third Test between England and New Zealand.
England’s shortcomings should not rest solely at the feet of McCullum, according to Hussain, who said the Test team embodied the ECB’s chronic lack of preparedness.
“It’s not just a Brendon thing,” he added. “It goes above the team and Ben Stokes.
“There is a lack of attention to detail in the last year or so. Certain things should have been done in the team and away from the team.
“Attention to detail around preparation for Australia, nets at the WACA, was there a curfew, was everyone told about it. There are so many things that should have been looked after but attention to detail has been lacking.
“There has been talent there, but as we’ve seen with this New Zealand side, it’s not just about talent, it’s about players understanding their roles and preparing properly.”
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England’s final wicket falls as they lose to New Zealand by 160 runs in the third Test at Trent Bridge.
Hussain said England need look no further than a New Zealand side punching above its weight on the international stage for a template on how to transform England’s fortunes.
“I feel a little bit disappointed and deflated,” he added. “
“For everything that English cricket has going for it, we are way down the World Test Championship table.
“The irony is, England have got a lot of New Zealanders in the backroom staff, and it’s actually New Zealand who are giving us the template on how you should prepare, play, behave and act as a Test nation.
“We’ve got to learn from what we’ve just seen in the last three Tests on the field. If you want to get better, sometimes look at the opposition and what they’re doing well and learn from them.”
England vs New Zealand – results and schedule
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Watch day five of the third Test between England and New Zealand, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Monday from 10.15am (first ball 11am). Stream cricket and more with NOW – no contract.
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