Embattled England men’s coach Brendon McCullum has hit out at media and defended his position at the helm, while denying allegations his squad has a drinking problem.
He faced a grilling from several reporters after England wrapped up a 3-0 T20I series win against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
McCullum’s position as coach of the team has been examined since England lost the Ashes tour 4-1 to Australia last month.
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His regime was criticised during that tour for letting players holiday in Noosa in between matches, where they reportedly drank excessively for multiple days straight between Test losses in Brisbane and Adelaide.
At the conclusion of the Ashes it came to light batter Harry Brook had been involved in a late-night altercation with a bouncer during a white-ball tour of New Zealand several months prior.
And this week it was revealed Brook lied about which teammates were present with him on that night in question, with Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue now also under investigation.
England player Harry Brook. Getty
When pressed on the issues on Wednesday, McCullum responded with venom.
“It seems like we keep going on and on and on about it,” he said.
“I think these guys, they know that they’ve made a mistake and they’ve put their hand up.
“Harry was trying to look after his mates and, in the end, people say what they want, but our job is to look after him.
“Our job is to make sure we support these guys and I think sometimes the criticism can go too far.
“When we’re made aware of things that haven’t gone right, we discipline them, we have a stern word and deal with things internally.
“To be honest, I find it quite annoying that we keep going on and on about it because these are young men who are under immense pressure that have put their hands up, been disciplined for it, and piling onto them is not helpful for anyone.”
McCullum went in to bat for Brook in particular, given the 26-year-old has copped heavy scrutiny since his bouncer brouhaha was made public.
England coach Brendon McCullum speaks to media. Getty
The coach said his players had done nothing wrong by enjoying a drink while away on tour.
“I think Harry Brook is an outstanding leader on the field. His tactical acumen is as good as I’ve seen in a short period of time from a young man,” he said.
“He has work to do off the field without a doubt, as do some of the other young lads we have in our side, and that’s what happens when you come in at 20 and you’re growing up on a world stage with spotlight, fame, fortune and the pressure that comes with it.
“People will say he’s not that clever; I couldn’t disagree with that more. He wears his intelligence lightly and he’s a very strong leader.
“Cricket is 12 months a year, you have to be able to enjoy yourselves. I don’t think the boys went overboard at all.
“A lot of the pile-on for it was completely out of line. Noosa is where people go and retire. There’s a reason why we chose Noosa.
“It’s being made [out] as this big stag do place; it couldn’t be further from that. If we wanted a stag do and we wanted a tear-up, we’d have gone to the Gold Coast.”
England coach Brendon McCullum speaks to his team in a huddle. Getty
McCullum – the former New Zealand batting star – defended his own position in charge of the team and hit back at calls for him to step aside due to poor results and a questionable culture.
“I think you guys [journalists] have got to work me out a little bit better, to be honest,” he said.
“If you go back to the day I walked into the job, the first thing I said to these boys is don’t do anything that lands you on the front page of the paper and nothing good happens after midnight, but we’re going to have a good time.
“We’re going to grow, we’re going to enjoy ourselves, cricket is a tough game, it has its challenges mentally, which we’ve seen with many people that have played cricket in the past, but we’re going to try and play a style of cricket that allows us to succeed.
“(Suggestions I run a loose ship) couldn’t be further from the truth… I’m fiercely determined, I’m fiercely competitive and I want the best for these guys, and I want the best for English cricket.”
England now looks to the T20 World Cup which begins this weekend.