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England cannot have ‘glass jaw’ – McCullum

By in News, Sports News
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Stephan Shemilt

Chief cricket reporter in Brisbane
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England will have “no chance” of recovering in the Ashes series if they play with a “glass jaw”, says head coach Brendon McCullum.

The tourists are 2-0 down with three to play after defeat in the second Test in Brisbane. England have never come back from that deficit to win an Ashes series.

Following the loss at the Gabba, captain Ben Stokes said his dressing room is “no place for weak men”.

Asked if he agreed with Stokes, McCullum replied: “100%. It’s no different to the language I’ve been using. You don’t get to feel sorry for yourself in these jobs.

England are on the verge of surrendering the series at the earliest possible opportunity after losing the first two Tests in fewer than six days of cricket.

In the first Test in Perth, the tourists were bowled out for 172 and 164, including collapses of seven wickets for 78 runs and 9-99. In the second innings in Perth, England lost 6-80.

“Ultimately, you can’t afford to flinch when you come down here,” said McCullum.

“This is not a country to start doubting yourself or to walk away from the challenge.

“You come to this country and have a glass jaw, you have no chance. You have to be strong, tough, and you have to get on with it.”

The loss in Brisbane extended England’s winless run in Australia to 17 matches, including 15 defeats, dating back to 2011.

Stokes’ team must be victorious in all three of the remaining Tests, beginning in Adelaide on 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December), if they are to win the urn for the first time since 2015.

England will spend part of the gap between Tests on a break in the resort town of Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast. They will then train for three days in the run-up to the match in Adelaide.

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The visitors instead trained for five days in Brisbane, which McCullum said was “too much”. The New Zealander now feels it is right for his team to “freshen up”.

“A few days away wouldn’t be the worst thing,” he said. “I’m a horse-racing man and in the horse-racing game you wouldn’t keep doing the same thing with your horse if it’s struggling a bit.”

Separately, it is understood the England and Wales Cricket Board will approach Cricket Australia over an arrangement covering the 2027 Ashes in the UK and the 2029-30 series in Australia.

The approach would involve an agreement between the two boards to lay on the highest possible standard of warm-up facility and opposition to help ensure an entertaining, competitive Test series.

McCullum admitted he was open to the possibility of making changes to the England team for Adelaide when he said: “Over a five-Test series you’ll need a majority of your squad.”

Two players that would come under scrutiny are batter Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith, but both received backing from the coach.

On Smith, McCullum said: “He’s a flair player and he likes to approach the game in a simple way.

“He works very hard on his game but he also has the courage and conviction when he feels he’s given himself the best chance. It doesn’t guarantee everything but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch.”

Asked about Pope, McCullum added: “Popey has been number three. He’s done well. He’s averaged 40-odd for us. He’s our number three here in Australia.

Related topics

  • England Men’s Cricket Team
  • The Ashes
  • Cricket

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    • 16 August
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Indonesia counts human cost as more climate change warnings sounded

By in News, World News

Nearly 1,000 people have been killed, and close to one million displaced, Indonesia has said a week after torrential rains triggered catastrophic floods and landslides.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported late on Sunday that 961 people had been killed, with 234 people missing and about 5,000 injured across the Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces.

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The agency also recorded damage to more than 156,000 homes, and 975,075 people had taken refuge in temporary shelters.

Floodwaters have begun to recede in several coastal districts, although large areas in the central highlands are still cut off, BNPB said. However, heavy rain is forecast for parts of the island in the coming days, raising concerns for displaced people.

Indonesia’s rainy season, which usually peaks between November and April, frequently brings severe flooding.

Environmental groups and disaster specialists have warned for years that rapid deforestation, unregulated development and degraded river basins have increased the risks.

Several other countries in Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka and Thailand, have been hit hard by storms and floods in recent weeks.

Risk to billions

The Asian Water Development Outlook 2025, published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday, warned that the impact of climate change on Asia’s water systems poses a risk to billions.

The research said accelerating ecosystem decline and funding shortfalls for investment in critical water infrastructure threaten to plunge many in the sprawling region into water insecurity.

That could jeopardise gains over the past 12 years that have seen more than 60 percent of Asia-Pacific’s population – about 2.7 billion people – escape extreme water insecurity, the report says.

“Asia’s water story is a tale of two realities, with monumental achievements on water security coupled with rising risks that could undermine this progress,” said Norio Saito, the ADB’s senior director for water and urban development.

“Without water security, there is no development,” Saito said, adding that the report showed that urgent action was needed to restore ecosystem health, strengthen resilience, improve water governance, and deploy innovative finance to deliver long-term water security.

Rising disaster threat

The report said ​​extreme weather events such as storm surges, rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion, along with rising water-related disasters, threaten the region, which already accounts for more than 40 percent of the world’s floods.

That includes the disasters that ravaged Indonesia and other countries in the region in recent weeks.

From 2013 to 2023, the Asia Pacific region experienced 244 major floods, 104 droughts, and 101 severe storms, causing widespread damage to life and property and undermining crucial development gains.

The report said accelerating ecosystem decline was also a serious threat to water security in the region, with rivers, aquifers, wetlands and forests that sustain long-term water security deteriorating rapidly.

It said water ecosystems were deteriorating or stagnating in 30 of the 50 Asian countries it looked at, as they face threats from pollution, unchecked development and the conversion of land to other uses.

Underinvestment in water infrastructure is another threat to water security.

Asian nations will need to spend $4 trillion for water and sanitation between now and 2040, an outlay of about $250bn a year, the report said.