Former England captain Nasser Hussain has criticized the England team management after their 1-2 Test series loss to New Zealand and stated that he wanted more honesty from coach Brendon McCullum, as he feels there has been a lack of attention to detail to things.
England was defeated by New Zealand by 160 runs in the last Test of the three-match Test series at home. The hosts' 1-2 series loss to New Zealand was capped off by Ben Stokes' farewell act as captain at Trent Bridge.
Before a nightclub incident resulted in Stokes' dismissal for the second Test, which New Zealand won by 253 runs, England had won the first Test by 115 runs.
Following England coach Brendon McCullum's interview with Sky Sports Cricket as he was watching, Hussain made his remarks.
“You can’t hide behind that. Brendon always comes over very positive and full of energy. I’d like a little bit more honesty at times, you know, like the last game, when you asked him at the Oval about the plans for one hour on the third day of the trial. And he said, ‘No, our plans were okay.’ And they weren’t. They got the plans wrong.
And the batting here (in the third Test)—you asked about the batting lineup. He said it’s all about when the ball is hard; that’s a good time to score. Well, actually, when the ball was hard, that was a really difficult time to bat, and you needed someone to play like Daryl Mitchell and grind out a score. So that today, when it was a bit easier, as Jamie Smith showed, you can go out and smash it,” Hussain said on commentary on Sky Cricket.
Hussain continued, "I just think it’s not just a Brendon thing; it’s above the England team and Ben Stokes." There has been a lack of attention to detail in the last year or so. There have been certain things that should have been done away from the team and within the team. The attention to the detail of preparation for Australia, nets at the WACA, and the curfew—was there a curfew? Was there not a curfew on the last night? Was everyone told about it? There are so many little things that should be looked after, and clear attention to detail at times has been lacking from this team.”
Hussain noted that England has now dropped seven of its last nine Test games.
“There is talent there (in the England team), but as you see with that New Zealand side, it’s not just about having talent. It is about players understanding their roles and preparing properly, and that’s reflected in the way they bat, bowl, and field. So I feel a little bit disappointed and deflated. That’s seven from nine Test matches. Despite all the positive developments in English cricket, we find ourselves at the bottom of the World Test Championship table.
The irony is we have a lot of New Zealanders in the backroom staff, and it was New Zealand that actually gave us a template on how you should prepare, play, behave, and act as a Test match nation. So if anything, England have got to learn from what we’ve just seen in the last three Tests on the field. I think that if you want to get better, sometimes look at the opposition and see what they’re doing well and learn from them,” Hussain concluded.
