18 October 2023 , 11:00
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England have been given a dose of positive reinforcement from one of their red ball gurus, Brendon McCullum, who has backed them to still make the semi-finals.
A jarring defeat to Afghanistan last Sunday stung the reigning champions, but was put into perspective by South Africa’s defeat to Netherlands on Tuesday.
The Proteas had made the early running in their first two matches, but came unstuck against the Dutch ahead of their clash with England in Mumbai at the weekend. And with six games left in the round robin for England to qualify as one of the last four, Test head coach McCullum reckons there is more than enough quality in their squad to make it over the line.
“They will get there,” said McCullum. “It is still early days and this tournament is a slow burn, so there is plenty of time and matches for them to catch up.
McCullum remains confident that England's ODI side will have a successful World Cup (Popperfoto via Getty Images)“It is a World Cup, so there is going to be the odd upset and that is what you want in a tournament like this. Look at what happened to South Africa. That was a strong win from the Dutch and there will be other unexpected results before the tournament is over.
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“Of course the boys would have liked to be 3 and 0, but sport doesn’t work like that and sometimes you have to cope with challenges and then show how good you are. One thing is for sure, there are good reasons why England have won two World Cups recently.
"It is the quality of the players and the manner with which they play the game that makes them a world class side. They just need to stay true to their method and their style which has brought them so much success and not get shaken by the odd bad day at the office.”
McCullum was immersed in the white heat of the Ashes last summer and knows full well just how tough it can be at the sharp end of the international game when the pressure is on.
McCullum and Ben Stokes kept England on course during the Ashes and it paid off (Philip Brown/Getty Images)And the way that a Ben Stokes led side kept true to their word and their approach was vindicated with two victories from 2-0 down to draw that series while one Test was lost to rain.
Even though it is a different format, the experience from the summer for the likes of Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Harry Brook, not to mention Stokes himself should stand them all in good stead for what is to come out here in India, starting with South Africa.
And McCullum, who happened to be in Mumbai on personal business, passed on a few encouraging words to his white ball counterpart Matthew Mott as well as a few players.
“It was good to see the boys out here and have a brief catch up with Motty,” added McCullum. “They are doing a great job and have done so for a long time and I’m just looking forward to seeing them show their quality over the next few weeks.
“Playing cricket in India against the nine other top nations in a World Cup is never going to be a walk in the park, but this is what they boys play the game for. This is what gets them excited and I’m sure that we will see the best of them soon enough.”