Rob Key admits he is 'annoyed' by perception of England under Brendon McCullum

England men's cricket team managing director Rob Key has expressed his annoyance at the perception of the England team under Brendon McCullum as being "gung-ho," but admitted that it is "our own fault." This perception has been fueled by some of the team's public statements and on-field performances.

McCullum was appointed as England's cricket coach in 2022 and, alongside captain Ben Stokes, has transformed the team's fortunes by instilling a positive and fearless style of cricket. However, the former New Zealand batsman took over the white-ball side earlier this year, but the team has performed poorly, suffering a heavy defeat in India and losing all three of their recent Champions Trophy matches. The poor performances have led to increased scrutiny of the team's tactics.

During the tour of India, the England team was accused of not training hard enough, and these losses have also led to intense scrutiny of their image and attitude by the media and the public. "I saw an article in the paper about 'the most eye-rolling Bazball quotes,' and it made me cringe," Key said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. The team's public image has become a topic of concern.

"Yes, it annoys me that that's the perception, but it's our own fault. Players have repeated some of the internal messaging in interviews, but without the context of why Brendon would say these things – like 'we don't care if we lose' – which is utter nonsense." Key explained, "Sometimes you have to be above the players and pull them up; sometimes when things are going well, you have to be below them and pull them down – that does happen as well." The team's messaging needs to be more carefully managed.

Controversial comments included Ben Duckett saying that it didn't matter if England lost 3-0 to India as long as they won the Champions Trophy. Last September, when asked about the team's batting approach, Harry Brook stated, "If you get caught somewhere on the boundary, then so what?" These comments have contributed to the perception of a reckless approach.

Key added that McCullum is a "master" at knowing the differences between players, such as who needs a sterner approach and who thrives through a more relaxed approach. "After the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, which was an absolute rollercoaster, Brendon said something along the lines of those tight games feel like games you've won," Key added. McCullum's man-management skills are crucial for the team's success.

"So that's why it's annoying when it's taken out of context. What he was trying to do was lift everyone, he was trying to make sure they didn't feel like the world was ending because they were getting down, but they had four more Tests to play." Key also denied suggestions that he and the England management were focusing too much on Test cricket, leading to the white-ball team's poor results. He is committed to supporting both formats of the game.

He stated that during Joe Root's time as Test captain, he often played without a full-strength squad, but this winter, the choices were unavoidable. "(When I started) the white-ball team was one of the best, if not the best, in the world, and they'd done a lot of work with a very mature and experienced group of cricketers who were very clear on what they were doing," Key said. The white-ball team had previously enjoyed considerable success.

"The problem we found this winter was that we had to make a decision – it wasn't a case of choosing between white-ball and red-ball – it was more the fact that it's almost impossible now to have your best team in both forms of the game." England had three Tests in Pakistan in October, with a white-ball series in the Caribbean starting the day after that series finished, followed by another three Tests in New Zealand. The schedule presented significant challenges.

Key stated that he would make the same choices again due to the complexities of the schedule. "It meant that the white-ball team suffered, but there was almost no choice," he said. "It was either choose one or choose the other. Every step of the way we had to make a decision of 'you can only have your best team in one of these series'." Difficult decisions had to be made to manage player workload.

Key's next important decision will be to appoint a successor to Jos Buttler as white-ball captain after he stepped down following the Champions Trophy. This process will take time, and Key stated that he has not yet had any conversations with current Test captain Stokes about the vacancy. England's next fixture is a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May, followed by a series of white-ball matches against the West Indies. The search for a new captain is underway.