Rob Key admits he is ‘annoyed’ by perception of England under Brendon McCullum

Rob Key says he gets annoyed by the perception of Brendon McCullum’s England teams as being carefree, but admits it is “our own fault”.

McCullum was appointed as head coach of the Test side in 2022 and transformed the team’s fortunes alongside captain Ben Stokes, instilling a positive and fearless brand of cricket.

The former New Zealand batter took over the white-ball sides at the beginning of this year, but they have struggled – being beaten heavily in India and then losing all three matches at the recent Champions Trophy.

During the India tour, England were accused of not training hard enough and the defeats have seen their image and attitudes scrutinised by the press and public.

“I saw a piece in a newspaper about the ‘most eye-catching Bazball quotes’, and they make me shudder,” Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Yes, it annoys me [the perception] but it’s our own fault. Some of those internal messages are repeated by players in interviews, but without context as to why Brendon is saying them – things like ‘we don’t care about winning’ – that is nonsense.

“Sometimes you have got to be above the players and you have got to drag them up, and sometimes when things are going well you’ve got to be below them and bring them down – and that does happen, too.”

Comments which caused a stir include Ben Duckett saying it did not matter that England lost 3-0 to India as long as they went on to win the Champions Trophy, while in September last year Harry Brook said “if you get caught somewhere on the boundary, then who cares?” when asked about his side’s batting approach.

But Key added that McCullum is a “master” at knowing the differences between his players, such as who needs a harder approach and who thrives by being more relaxed.

“After the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, an absolute rollercoaster, Brendon said something along the lines of how those close games feel like ones you’ve won,” Key added.

“So that’s why it is annoying when it is taken out of context. What he’s trying to do is lift everyone, he’s trying to make sure they don’t walk out feeling like the world has ended because they are gutted, but they still have four Tests left to play.”