‘They’ve got to live with that’: Brendon McCullum resolute over Australia’s controversial stumping

07/03/2023

There were critics before the series started by some, including Michael Vaughan, who said the players were too friendly with each other, and that it could lack the bite of the past, but McCullum believes the relationship has been altered by the events of the final day of the Lord’s Test.

“I imagine it will affect it (relations between the sides), I think it has to,” McCullum said.

“In the end, they made a play, they’ve got to live with that, we would have made a different play but that’s life.

“From our point of view, we believe that we can still come back in this series, and that’s where our focus has got to be.

“What I will say is it’s a galvanized unit up there [the England dressing-room] and we saw the fight from the skipper, Broady (Stuart Broad) and the boys at the end there as well, which shows how much this means to the side.

“We’ll lick our wounds and try and come back and rectify things.”

England head coach Brendon McCullum, pictured, was unimpressed with Alex Carey’s antics (Mike Egerton/PA)

During his own playing days, McCullum stumped both Chris Mpofu as the Zimbabwean went to celebrate his partner Blessing Mahwire’s maiden test half-century, and Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan when he congratulated teammate Kumar Sangakkara on reaching his ton.

“Obviously I’ve made an apology to Murali in my Cowdrey Lecture, which when I was a younger man I didn’t quite understand the significance of what the game and the spirit of the game means to the game,” the England head coach said.

“It’s what the defining point of the game is compared to others, and it’s only with the benefit of time and experience that we’re able to learn that and cherish it.

“In time, we’ll see, but I get the feeling that it might have an effect on them (Australia).”

England’s Jonny Bairstow looks frustrated after being run out by Australia’s Alex Carey during day five of the second Ashes test match at Lord’s (PA)

Only once in history has a team come back from 2-0 down to win the Ashes, but McCullum and England, remained confident.

“Of course we do (still believe), 3-2 has got a nice ring to it, we’ve got to polish up a couple of the areas where the game has sat on a knife-edge and we haven’t been able to grab it.

‘They’ve got to live with that’: Brendon McCullum resolute over Australia’s controversial stumping

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