Brendon McCullum has backed England to recover from the unconvincing start to their World Cup defence, saying that despite the two defeats they have suffered in their opening three games there is still time for their quality to show.
“They just need to stay true to their method and their style which has brought them so much success and not get shaken by the odd bad day at the office,” McCullum told the Mirror. “Of course the boys would have liked to be 3 and 0, but sport doesn’t work like that and sometimes you have to cope with challenges and then show how good you are. One thing is for sure, there are good reasons why England have won two World Cups recently.”
England were beaten by Afghanistan on Sunday in the first genuine shock of the tournament, though South Africa, their next opponents, have since suffered a similar humbling against the Netherlands. “It is a World Cup, so there is going to be the odd upset and that is what you want in a tournament like this,” said McCullum, England’s Test head coach. “Look at what happened to South Africa. That was a strong win from the Dutch and there will be other unexpected results before the tournament is over.”
McCullum is currently in Mumbai, where England play on Saturday, on business and staying in the same hotel as the team, where he has discussed the situation with his white-ball counterpart, Matthew Mott. “It was good to see the boys out here and have a brief catch-up with Motty,” he said. “They are doing a great job and have done so for a long time and I’m just looking forward to seeing them show their quality over the next few weeks.
“Playing cricket in India against the nine other top nations in a World Cup is never going to be a walk in the park, but this is what they boys play the game for. This is what gets them excited and I’m sure that we will see the best of them soon enough.”
