In a recent revelation, Brendon McCullum, the coach of the England Test team, opened up about how he managed to shut out any external distractions during the 2023 Ashes series. The former New Zealand captain disclosed that he consciously avoided reading any news and remained steadfast in his commitment to keeping external messages at bay.
The 2023 Ashes series witnessed its first controversy when Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow in a contentious manner during the 4th innings at Lord’s. The incident sparked displeasure among the home crowd, with Pat Cummins and his teammates being booed, and Usman Khawaja and David Warner facing heckling from the stands.
Speaking on SENZ Breakfast, McCullum shared his unique approach to staying focused amidst the media storm. Instead of consuming sporting news, he preferred doing crossword puzzles to divert his attention
“I didn’t read any of it, but I think the best recipe is to complete the cryptic crossword instead of reading the sports news. Any messaging should come from within, not from outside sources. We have the advantage of watching these individuals work every day, so if they need input, we’re in the ideal position to provide it,” said McCullum.
Despite being 2-0 down, England refused to change their style of play. He added, “From our end, we were just trying to ensure that our messaging was consistent with what we started with.” The skipper and I have a pretty similar approach to how we like to do things, and that hasn’t changed. But, if anything, I believe our confidence grew as we realized we could compete with Australia.”
In a thrilling turn of events, Ben Stokes and the team managed to level the series 2-2. The fifth Test at the Oval marked the farewell to the Test careers of Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali, adding sentimental significance to the series finale.
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