ASH BANG WALLOP

Mccullum urges his England side to go all in on ‘Bazball’ against formidable Aussies

BRENDON MCCULLUM has told England’s players to commit even harder to ‘Bazball’ this summer after admitting The Ashes will be its biggest test.

And if things do not go quite according to plan from the outset against a team who could be World Test champions by the start of the series, Mccullum insisted his players must hold their nerve and not ‘run away’ from the method that has been little short of a thrilling triumph so far.

But even though that seems straightforward enough, the Kiwi coach also knows that when it comes to The Ashes, things are just different.

The pressure is at its greatest, the attention is at its highest and the chances of players going back into their shells is at its most likeliest.

So with a couple of rounds of golf together, followed by an Ireland Test this week, followed yet more golf up in Scotland, Mccullum (top, with skipper Ben Stokes) hopes he can get his message across to his group so they can enjoy another summer of fun and success.

“I think it’s a challenge but it’s an exciting challenge, it is what you play the game for,” he said.

“The more that’s at stake, the more it’s important to keep it simple and relaxed, to do what gives you your greatest chance.

“At the first sign of trouble you can’t run away from it, or at the first sign of all the eyeballs in the world watching, y o u can’t run away from what’s been most successful for you.

“That’s when you should be at

your clearest, keep things as simple as possible and that will be the message right throughout.

“You want to be tested against the best with the greatest amount of people watching and the biggest, brightest lights and see where you’re at.

“There’s no fear of failure as such, it’s about going out there and sticking to our skills on the stage regardless of how big the prize is.

“Australia are formidable. We’ve got the quality in our team, and they’ve got the quality in their team for it to be a heavyweight contest so I’m excited about that and the ability to go toe-to-toe with a good side is where the magic happens.”

Down the years so much of the magic has been created by Stokes the player, but now it stems from him at the helm as an inspirational captain and leader.

There remains concern over his fitness and his ability to play as an all-rounder, but such is his value as a captain, he could almost be picked on that skill alone.

Any wickets with the ball will be a huge bonus, while Mccullum spoke of Stokes (circled) even batting at No.7 behind wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow (left), which could lessen his impact with the bat.

“I think Stokesy’s in great shape,” added Mccullum. “He’s got a big smile on his face and he’s very quickly fallen back into the role of leading the group, which is fantastic.

“He is delighted to be back around the group and as our leader, having that sort of energy he brings is terrific.”