"The England head coach has instead backed an unchanged top seven to deliver a fightback in the third Ashes Test and flip a narrative that has already featured talk of a whitewash bubble up. At 2-0 down with three to play, all wriggle room has disappeared for England. But talk of Ollie Pope potentially being dropped, or even Ben Stokes moving to No 3, was shot down by McCullum as his players resumed training on Sunday afternoon."
"These conditions [in Adelaide] should suit the style of batters that we've got as well. We know we haven't got enough runs so far in this series. We've been in positions where we could have and made some mistakes. But it's not about throwing out what has been successful for us over the last few years. It's about having more conviction."
"It doesn't really bother me, to be honest. But I certainly don't coach to protect the job. I coach to get the best out of people. I firmly believe that if we play our best cricket, we are a massive chance in this Test match. If we do that, then the narrative changes and the series momentum changes. But it's all in front of us to achieve."
Brendon McCullum has backed an unchanged top seven for the third Ashes Test and rejected calls to drop Ollie Pope or move Ben Stokes to No 3. He emphasized conviction over kneejerk reactions and resisted chopping settled batting lineups despite England averaging 22 against Australia's 37 so far. McCullum said Adelaide conditions should suit his batters and that the team has lacked runs but has been in positions to score and made mistakes. He stated he does not coach to protect his job and believes playing their best cricket gives England a strong chance. Only bowling changes appear likely to the XI.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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