There’s always a lot of white noise around an Ashes series but at the moment for England it must be overwhelming, not just given their performances in the first two Tests but because of the mid-tour break they’ve just been on, with assorted media and attention-seekers following them around the beaches of Noosa.
I absolutely understand that Brendon McCullum’s priority is to do what he believes is right for the team, but the optics around that trip were not great and many England fans, who have spent their hard-earned money travelling to Australia with little reward so far, will be quick to bring it up if they produce another poor display.
Having just been rewarded for their two defeats with a nice few days of Queensland sunshine, it might now be time for the team to be introduced to the concept of consequences. They aren’t something this group have had to deal with for a while. The consistency of selection has been amazing, with players protected as a matter of policy from the threat of losing their place.
McCullum is now
Continue Reading on The Guardian
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.