‘I’d like to see us improve…’: England coach Brendon McCullum speaks about players needing to connect with fans

England head coach Brendon McCullum feels his players have lacked humility in their recent public appearances and he would like to see them win back respect from fans ahead of the tough home series against India and the Ashes later this year.

McCullum, while speaking to the media ahead of a lone Test against Zimbabwe starting Thursday in Nottingham, said the players need to be more attuned to public mood.

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“It’s not just about what you do on the cricket field. It’s how you carry yourself. It’s how you interact with the public. It’s the messaging that you give,” McCullum told the British media.

“The ability these guys have to be able to play on the biggest stage, under the brightest lights and the pressure that takes is one thing, but also the ability to be humble and show some humility and not feel out of touch with the general population is something I’d like to see us improve on,” he added.

“We’ve just got to be a bit smarter with some of our comments. What we say in that dressing room is often very different to what you expect to come out in a public forum,” McCullum said.

“We’ve got we just got to be aware of that, smart enough to be able to make sure that we articulate things when we get the opportunity so that we don’t we don’t lose touch with the English people. We want them along for the ride, particularly in the next few series, which could be quite amazing,” he further said.

“We want people to look back and say, ‘Crikey, that team in the mid-2020s was a hell of a team that we loved following, and we felt as if we were a part of that journey they went on.,” he stated.

Since taking charge of the team in 2022, McCullum changed England’s style of play, popularly called the ‘Bazball’ approach, which emphasises on taking positive decisions in attack and defence both with bat and ball.

The move paid dividends initially as from one win in 17 Tests prior to McCullum’s era, England emerged victorious in 10 of their next 11 matches.