Brendon McCullum holds his tongue after Harry Brook nightclub bust-up: 'Young men playing high pressurised sport'
Brendon McCullum held back public criticism on a tour of Australia that has seen a lot of the narrative dominated by England's retreat in Noosa, Queensland.
After England were hammered in the Ashes, losing 4-1 to Australia down under, the incursions have come thick and fast for multiple members of the Test team. Pressure is on for coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, but equally so for several members of the team for underperformance on the field and some criticism reegarding behaviour off it.
England’s now-infamous trip to the Queensland beach town of Noosa for a amid-tour break has resulted in reports and videos emerging of some players heavily intoxicated, leading many in the English press demanding that McCullum have a stronger grip over his squad.
To boot, reports emerged right after the conclusion of the Ashes that white-ball captain Harry Brook had been involved in an altercation with staff at a nightclub during the prior series in New Zealand, something which resulted in his role at the helm of the team being put at risk.
McCullum reportedly gave the English team a piece of his mind after that incident in New Zealand, but publicly, he was still behind his players and ready to defend them rather than shine even more pressure on them.
Speaking on the matter, McCullum said to press: “Half our guys don’t have a drink to be honest. They’ll have a couple of beers every now and again. I think people do that in most walks of life. These guys are young men playing a highly pressurised sport, they’ve got a talent which is cricket and there’s an opportunity for us to guide and nurture as they become fully grown men who are dealing with some high pressure.”
‘Australia is not different from us’
Surprisingly, England’s staunchest defenders have proven to be their rivals and their colleagues from the Australia team, who at various times throughout the tour stated they understood the need for a break and a mental reset during an extended tour away from home. McCullum backed up this philosophy, maintaining that point.
“There are times where you surely need to have some breaks and I would say most cricket teams around the world would be pretty similar in their belief of that, Australia is not different from us, and I felt Noosa was quite important, the way the guys were able to stay committed to the group,” explained McCullum.
Key for the New Zealander coach was that he believed the players remained within their limit when they were drinking or celebrating, keeping standards and ensuring that they did as they were required to do on the training field, even if the results didn’t necessarily reflect it.
“They enjoyed themselves off the field and I don’t think they did things to excess, and they were still putting in the work off the field in terms of training, albeit not in front of everyone,” said McCullum in conclusion.
The next big task for McCullum and his team will be the T20 World Cup in India, where they will look to bounce back from a tough run of form.
