Last Updated on 5 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Ian Healy believes Brendon McCullum should be sacked if England lose the 2025/26 Ashes series by a big margin. The former Australia keeper-batsman was scathing of England’s performance in the first Test, where they lost inside two days.
“England, try the hard way, rather than the two-day slogging and shot selections at Perth,” Healy wrote in his column for SEN.
“Former England legends are piling in, and rightly so, because they were dismissed as has-beens and irrelevant from a team who keep highlighting how respectful they are of the game and its history.”
Ian Healy believes Brendon McCullum must go if England lose Ashes series heavily
Speaking on radio, Healy said McCullum should go before Stokes if England lose badly. Given the nature of England’s defeat in Perth, they need a huge turnaround at the Gabba.
“The coach would go first before the captain because he’s a world class player,” said Healy on SENQ Breakfast.
“He [Stokes] will be performing, even if they are going down that badly. So, I think coach has to go because they’ve just outright flat-batted any advice from others that know the history of the game and what you should try in certain conditions and moments of the game.
“They’ve taken it upon themselves to do it this way, and if it doesn’t work, they will be in trouble,” Healy continued.
McCullum stood firm on his philosophy following England’s eight-wicket defeat. He vowed to keep playing the same way and called for fans to keep the faith.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve had a very bad day today, but we’ve done it before. That’s our blueprint. We’re married to that, and we won’t back down from that over the next four Tests,” McCullum told the BBC following the loss.
However, it’s a view Healy disagrees with. “If you want to play this way, you’d want to get better at it. You’re up against the conditions, a good Australian bowling attack and history,” he said.
“You have to have a bit of ticker and a bit of common sense in amongst what they’re doing. If not, they’re going to get hurt.
“If they go down badly, whether that’s 4-1, 4-0 or 5-0, look out.”
England batted a total of 67.3 overs in a reckless display in Perth. Effectively 105/1 soon after lunch, Ben Stokes’ team lost a few hours later. England fans were livid.
Now, they face criticism regarding their decision to opt out of the pink ball tour match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI. They will need a big performance in the Day/Night match at the Gabba which starts on December 4.
