Baz bats away the calls for change

ENGLAND head coach Brendon McCullum is ready to roll out an unchanged batting lineup for this week’s crunch Ashes Test in Adelaide, insisting he will not be swayed by questions over his future.

- By RORY DOLLARD

Ben Stokes speaks with coach Brendon McCullum at Adelaide Oval GARETH COPLEY/ GETTY IMAGES

(GARETH COPLEY GETTY IMAGES)

At 2-0 down with three to play, England know they cannot afford another slip-up but are set to give their error-prone top seven another chance.

Ollie Pope, who averages 18.71 in 14 innings against Australia with a top score of 46, looked most vulnerable to a challenge from Jacob Bethell but McCullum spoke strongly in favour of retaining the status quo.

Pope duly took his place in the catching cordon as England returned to practice for the first time since losing in Brisbane a week ago, indicating that he would hold the spot.

Asked if there would be changes in the batting group after some costly collapses, McCullum said: “I wouldn't have thought so. Knee-jerk reactions and chopping and changing settled batting lineups is not really our way.

“We know we haven't got enough runs so far in this series but for us to go on and win this series, it’s not about throwing out what has been successful for us over the last few years. It’s about having more conviction.

“It's about making sure we have our plans and our disciplines around it just screwed down a touch more. Making sure when we walk out there we have utter belief in what we are capable of achieving.”

Defeat in South Australia would end England’s hopes of reclaiming the urn in brutally premature fashion, the kind of result that turns up the heat on those in charge.