Brendon McCullum: England have dealt with Australian hostility well on Ashes tour

Brendon McCullum has praised his England squad for the way they have reacted to the off-field “hostility” that has followed them in Australia.

Television broadcaster Channel 7 claimed on Saturday that one of its camera operators was “physically confronted” by a member of England’s security detail as the team were followed at Brisbane airport.

It was the latest example of the local media presenting a thorn in the touring team’s side, following the reams of derogatory headlines, photographers trailing players on days off, and even a drone despatched to monitor a round of golf in Perth.

At one stage, captain Ben Stokes was asked by a political correspondent if he wished to apologise to the people of Queensland after being snapped riding an e-scooter without the mandatory safety helmet.

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Glare of the spotlight

McCullum understands the glare of the spotlight that accompanies a series like the Ashes and feels England have held up admirably thus far.

“Obviously, it wasn’t ideal, but hopefully it’s been dealt with and everyone’s able to move on,” he said of the airport episode.

“We know when you come to Australia, there’s a lot of eyeballs. There’s a lot of intensity and scrutiny on everything you do.

“I feel like we’ve managed ourselves pretty well throughout this tour.

“There is hostility. My wife’s Australian, I know the Australian people very well.

“There is hostility early, but once you break that down, it’s always good fun and you end up getting respect.

“I thought the boys were outstanding over the last week we’ve had. They’ve been engaging with a lot of locals and everyone was in good spirits.

“There was some good banter flying both ways and I think everyone treated that with the respect it deserved.

“The music stops at some stage in everyone’s careers, right, and you don’t get that scrutiny anymore.

“Speaking as a player who’s stepped away from the game, you do miss it.”

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