Former England fast bowler and Ashes winner Steve Harmison has strongly criticized England’s current Test set-up, saying the head coach Brendon McCullum had to resign 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 was never convinced by the aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach introduced by McCullum. While the strategy initially brought success, Harmison believes recent performance England, including a heavy Ashes defeat and inconsistent Test results, shows that the approach is no longer working.Harmison argued that Stokes and McCullum were a package meant to strengthen England’s Test cricket, and with Stokes moving away, McCullum should follow.“McCullum’s going to go with him. And that’s it. If we’re going to go through that conversation, McCullum’s going to go with him. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Brendon McCullum as a person, but this Bazball stuff, it’s not Test cricket. It’s amateur,” Harmison told Talksport Cricket.He also asked how senior batsman Joe Root could view England’s recent struggles.“I’d like to know what Joe Root thinks about it, going into bat. I’d really like to know what Joe Root thinks about this whole 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 12 Test Match series at the Arena.
Ben Stokes explains retirement decision
Stokes shocked the cricket world by announcing his international retirement on 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 really the best for me right now,” Stokes told Sky Sports.“I hope it’s the best for the team going forward, but I also hope it’s what will allow me to continue to love this game that has given me so much.“The Lord’s Test, for me, was something that brought negative feelings about where I was in my career. I had worked so hard since I was at home. [from Australia] to put things together, or at least that’s what I thought I would do. I put so much time and effort into doing that, and I just burned myself out,” he added.
