Brendon McCullum backs Zak Crawley despite his horrid run with the bat ahead of second Ashes Test

The Ashes 2025-26 began with Australia handing England a heavy defeat. The two sides took on each other in the first Test at the Perth Stadium, and after just two days of play, Australia managed to win the clash by eight wickets, gaining the lead in the series. 

England’s performance in the clash was heavily criticised, and opener Zak Crawley was at the forefront of the criticism. The batter was dismissed for a duck across the two innings of the Perth Test, and many had called for him to be dropped from the XI as well. 

Speaking of the game, England head coach Brendon McCullum came forward and backed Crawley, branding him a talented player. He opined that Crawley would make a comeback in the series in the upcoming matches. 

"We believe he is a quality player. Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak. He's been around this group for a long time, he's done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I'd expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn't. But that's life. If he can get going, he can do some damage,” McCullum was quoted as saying.

McCullum backed England to make a comeback as soon as possible

Furthermore, McCullum talked about how they are looking to put the loss in Perth behind them as soon as possible and have already shifted their focus on the upcoming assignments in the series. 

"We will let the dust settle, but we are bitterly disappointed for us, but also all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well here and we know we will be throughout the series,” McCullum said.