England head coach Brendon McCullum has come under immense scrutiny after the side lost the Ashes in a span of just 11 days, losing three games on the bounce to concede the series. Preceding the Ashes, they also drew 2-2 in a five-match series at home against India, meaning they have won only a couple out of eight matches in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, despite the hyped Bazball approach.

Bazball is a byproduct of McCullum's revolutionary way of playing with an aggressive intent in Test matches to play every match and extract a result out of it. However, as England keep being unsuccessful with this style of play, McCullum, fondly known as Baz, has come forward to explain what Bazball is actually about, when it comes to Tests.

“The style has never been about the scoring rates. We have never said we are going to try to score at 5.5-6 an over. It's about allowing us to get in the headspace where we are clear, transparent, and immersed in the situation and the moment so we can identify risk, where the game is at and what is required,” McCullum explained.

“For me, it's a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them. Those other decisions are up to other people. I think we've made some progress from when I took over to where we are,” he added.

The results, in fact, have been so bad for England that fans and cricket pundits have opined a sacking of McCullum from his stewardship job with The Three Lions. When asked about the insecurities that he might be feeling, the 44-year-old says that it is up to the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to determine the future of the team.

“I don't know. It's not really up to me, is it? I will just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that I haven't quite got right here and make adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me. It's a pretty good gig. It's good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things,” McCullum opined.

The Englishmen are on the brink of being eliminated from the race to qualify for the WTC Final in 2027, which will become the fourth-consecutive time that the Ben Stokes-led side will not be making it. After the loss in the third Ashes encounter, they stand at the seventh position, only above Bangladesh and the West Indies.