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Former England fast bowler and Ashes winner Steve Harmison has strongly criticised England’s current Test setup, saying head coach Brendon McCullum should step down following Ben Stokes’ international retirement announcement during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.Harmison, who played 63 Tests and took 226 wickets for England, said he has never been convinced by the aggressive “Bazball” approach introduced by McCullum. While the strategy initially brought success, Harmison believes England’s recent performances, including a heavy Ashes defeat and inconsistent Test results, show that the approach is no longer working.Harmison argued that Stokes and McCullum were a package deal meant to reshape England’s Test cricket, and with Stokes stepping away, McCullum should follow.“McCullum has got to go with him. And that’s it. If we’re gonna go through that conversation, McCullum’s got to go with him. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Brendon McCullum as a person, but this Bazball stuff, that’s not Test cricket. That’s amateur,” Harmison told Talksport Cricket.He also questioned how senior batter Joe Root might be viewing England’s recent struggles.“I’d love to know what Joe Root’s thinking of this, walking out to bat. I’d really love to know what Joe Root’s thinking about this whole last two-week period. But I think with Ben Stokes going now, Brendon McCullum’s influence on this team now, I’m not convinced it’s great for English cricket, especially in the Test Match Arena, with an Ashes series less than 12 months away,” he added.
Ben Stokes explains retirement decision
Stokes shocked the cricket world by announcing his international retirement during the fourth day of the third Test. Explaining his decision, he admitted that mental and physical exhaustion had played a major role.“It might sound quite selfish, but this decision is genuinely the best thing for me right now,” Stokes told Sky Sports.“I hope it’s the best thing for the team going forward, but I also hope it’s what will allow me to keep loving this game that has given me so much.“The Lord’s Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings about where I was in my career. I’d worked so hard since getting home [from Australia] to put things right, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing. I put so much time and effort into doing that, and I just burned myself out,” he added.
