Following England’s humbling defeat in the first Ashes Test in Perth, coach Brendon McCullum implored supporters to “keep the faith” and declared that there would be no change in strategy.
After their reckless attacking strategy—dubbed “Bazball” after the coach’s nickname—backfired, England lost by eight wickets in under two days. Travis Head’s incredible 69-ball century and batting failures punished England to yet another loss in Australia.
With four Tests remaining, the second of which being a day-night encounter in Brisbane on December 4, the visitors will have a difficult time regaining the Ashes. After the loss on Saturday, England was brutalized at home.
“Keep the faith,” the New Zealander McCullum said, asked by reporters what his message would be to England fans.
“Sometimes we get beaten and it looks pretty ugly, but there are times when having that type of mentality allows us to still believe in our abilities when we step out to play.
“There are times we don’t get it right, but we have to believe in what we believe in because it gives us the best chance. Just because we are one down in the series doesn’t change what we believe in. We have to stay calm, stay together, and plot our way back into this series, as we have done before.”
England has now lost 14 Test matches, drawn two, and won none in Australia since winning an Ashes series there 15 years ago. They had the ideal chance in Perth to end the terrible run and gain a mental edge going into the pivotal match in Brisbane.
However, on day one, the tourists were bowled out for 172 after losing five wickets for 12 runs after reaching 160-5. But they recovered the lead after dismissing Australia for 132.
After reaching 65-1 in their second innings, they were headed for a significant advantage. However, they once more lost five wickets in a short period of time, leaving Australia to chase 205, which they easily attained.
