England should still stick with Brendon McCullum as coach: Steve O’Keefe

Sydney: Former Australia off-spinner Steve O’Keefe believes England should still stick with Brendon McCullum as their head coach despite mounting pressure on him following successive defeats in the ongoing five-game Ashes series.

England’s aggressive tactics have come under immense scrutiny after losses in Perth and Brisbane, with critics questioning the side’s reluctance to adapt. With McCullum’s over-training comments post the Brisbane loss getting a lot of backlash, calls for change have grown louder.

O’Keefe, however, believes England should persist with the former New Zealand captain, pointing to the transformation he has overseen since taking charge of the side in 2022. “Look, I’d say sitting back and taking the emotion out of it (he should remain coach). Look at the coaching rate under him.”

“At the end of the Joe Root and Chris Silverwood era, they won one out of 17, and they’re shooting at 58 percent with McCullum. No England team has come over and done well in Australia since 2010/11. Does he survive? I think there are a lot of people saying that he wouldn’t. But personally, I’d stick with him,” said O’Keefe on SEN Radio. IANS

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