McCullum backs refined 'Bazball' as England gear up for crucial home summer

Brendon McCullum insisted that England is focused on evolving rather than dwelling on the Ashes defeat as he began preparing for a pivotal home Test summer. He said that England's strongest days are still to come. Back with the squad at a training camp ahead of next week's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's, McCullum outlined his belief that England can sharpen their aggressive "Bazball" philosophy and emerge stronger over the coming months. In an interview with the ECB, the head coach of England stated, "You will see a lot of the stuff you've seen already, but with a bit of refinement." "Positive and smart cricket can live together. We will try to step towards that. "When we need to be brave and when we need to be smart, we will be both. We'll give it our all and try to figure out when games can be won or lost. We will give ourselves a great chance if that goes well. I'd like to see us become a team that is also feared for our jab and knockout punch. We are all intensely motivated to succeed if we can box smart. "There's some finessing and up-skilling to do, and maybe a firmer grip on things rather than expecting guys to work it out for themselves. We've had some good and bad times but I firmly believe the best years are still ahead of us and I'm delighted to still be at the helm for that." McCullum insists that he and captain Ben Stokes remain united in their long-term vision despite scrutiny following the winter tour of Australia in England's crucial home campaign against Pakistan and New Zealand. England has not won a home or away Test series against either Australia or India under the leadership of Stokes and McCullum. McCullum stated, "Stokesey and I have always got along well." "There will always be disagreements, and that is exactly what you want because we challenge each other. That is good. The best leaders bounce off each other, but we're crystal clear on the direction we want this team to take and you'll continue to see us work together. "We're absolutely fine and we've got each other's backs. There have been no 'clear the air' talks because there's no air to clear. We were all disappointed about the winter but all the talks have been about how to move forward and put that right." McCullum also said that he was right to take a long break in New Zealand before coming back to England. He said that the break helped him reset and take care of his health before a long season while still watching county cricket closely. He stated, "I've been able to have a little break after what was quite a challenging time." "I'm very lucky that, when Keysey (England managing director Rob Key) offered me the full-time role with the white-ball teams as well as the Test one, he was very mindful of the fact there would be a lot of demands with the schedule and that I had a young family. There would be times when I needed to be at home. "I've been on the road for 25 years so I'm not unaccustomed to the demands of touring, but it is important at times to take your breaks, refresh a bit and get ready for an exciting summer ahead." Addressing further criticism of his belated arrival, McCullum also revealed that part of his absence was due to medical treatment. "I'm not after pity but there were a couple of operations I had to have back home which have been booked in for a long time, so it's nice to tidy that up," he explained.