After a shocking two-wicket loss to Australia in the first Test at Edgbaston, England coach Brendon McCullum maintained he had “no regrets” about his side’s tactics.
England fell behind Australia 1-0 in the five-match Ashes series as they attempted to win their first series against their bitter rivals since 2015.
England were denied victory in Birmingham due to an unbroken 55-run ninth-wicket collaboration between Australia captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, which carried the tourists to a target of 281 when they were on the verge of defeat.
This was just England’s third loss in 14 Tests since McCullum joined captain Ben Stokes at the reins, with the team’s policy of all-out aggression termed ‘Bazball’ in allusion to the former New Zealand captain.
When asked if he had a good time despite the loss, McCullum responded, “I had an incredible time. I thought it was an excellent Test match with two very distinct methods of play, but just as in a heavyweight combat match, not everyone must fight the same.
“I believe that we played our style, which is to attempt to advance the game, and that Australia was content to play their style, which ultimately lead to their success.
“I’m confident that they’ll employ the same strategy throughout the entire series. Consequently, I believe this contest will be quite intriguing.”
Prior to this, Stokes had attempted to capture the initiative by declaring England’s innings on the first day before they had scored 400 runs.
McCullum defended this decision by stating, “I believe we always want to attempt to move the game forward.
“And we want to attempt to seize opportunities in which we believe we can put opposing teams under pressure.”
“There aren’t many openers who want to confront 25 minutes of bowling, particularly when the ball was beginning to speed around.
“We believed there might be an occasion to strike a blow with Broady (Stuart Broad) going up against Dave Warner as well.
“They were able to overcome it, but we’re pleased with the number of points we scored, and we believed that was the most aggressive strategy.
If serendipity had been on our side, we would have been satisfied with a 1-0 series lead.
McCullum was adamant that England’s overall strategy would not be altered in response to this stunning defeat.
“Both the captain (Stokes) and I are convinced that this represents our best opportunity,” he said.
“I would be very astonished if too many individuals who have witnessed this game over the past five days disagree with the way we play.
“Everyone was entertained, and we understand that it’s impossible to triumph every time.
“We want to continue rising up and launching strikes as a team, and I’m really pleased with how the boys played. Regarding our approach, I have no qualms.”