Brendon McCullum tells England fans to ‘keep the faith’ after losing first Ashes Test

Head coach Brendon McCullum has urged England fans to “keep the faith” despite their Ashes heartbreak in Perth – and plans to do exactly that with struggling opener Zak Crawley.

The tourists are picking up the pieces after an eight-wicket thrashing in the first Test, the first two-day finish to an Ashes clash since 1921.

Supporters at home, and those who made the trip Down Under in their thousands, have witnessed a major stumble at the first hurdle, but McCullum is eager for them not to abandon hope.

“We are bitterly disappointed for us, but also for all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well,” he said.

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High hopes

“I’d say keep the faith. We have a talented group, we believe in each other and are pretty level. That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.

“But our best method to get back into it is doing what we’ve done before under pressure, which is staying tight and keep moving towards the target.

“We’ll head to Brisbane with high hopes and high expectations and see where we’re at.”

McCullum’s natural strain of optimism continues to extend to Crawley, who finds himself in the unenviable position of heading into the day/night second Test at the Gabba on the back of two ducks in the series opener.

He failed to survive the first over in each innings, dismissed on both occasions by Mitchell Starc, and has seen his England average dip below 31 after 60 Tests.

Believe

His vulnerability early on is also illustrated by 44 single-figure dismissals in 109 attempts.

There is a perception that the management have stuck by him with an eye on this Ashes tour, believing his style is best suited to the pace and bounce of Australian pitches.

And twin failures do not appear to have diminished that belief.

“We believe he is a quality player, particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition,” he said.

“How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.

“He’s been around this group for a long time – the combination with Ben Duckett and Zak has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can, and I’d expect to see a strong bounce back from Zak in the next little while.

“Sometimes you get out cheaply, right? It would have been nice if he hadn’t, but that’s life. If he can get going, he can do some damage.”

Debrief

There is a decision to make in the coming days as England decide whether to send any of their squad to Canberra to play for the England Lions against a Prime Minister’s XI next weekend.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is among those who have urged them to use the opportunity to tune up against the pink ball.

McCullum may be loathe to tear up the original plan but is keeping his options open as the debrief unfolds.

“We’ll let the dust settle on this, then we’ll start having those conversations and working out what’s what,” he said.

“We’ve got to work out whether that extra cricket is the key, or making sure that camaraderie is tight and morale doesn’t drop.

“We’ve just got to work out what the pros and cons are. We’re not married to any position at the moment, but we’ll work it out in a couple of days.”

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