Phil Walker

But now when you use these kinds of terms, there's a hollowness to it.

And why?

because we went and stunk the place out in Australia.

And I know it's, it's simplistic to say that, but that is the truth.

And everything was hinging on what happened in November and December in your place, everything hinged on it.

And now when you dare to say these, these highfalutin terms about playing a new brand of the game and pushing the line and

And going at four and a half and over and all the rest of it, opening the game up, no draws, all thrills, all killer, no filler.

When you start saying this stuff now, people just say you got you got dicked.

You got smashed.

You know, you just you just got you got schooled by grownups and your fools.

You know, you're kind of you're you're you're students.

dreaming of this great idealised way of playing the game that doesn't apply, doesn't work.

And that was the narrative going into the ashes and that was the narrative played out in the ashes.

And so it's a knife edge and people are uneasy with this team.

And if they do lose to New Zealand, if they go down 2-1, say, then I think...

McCollum's position in particular is not quite untenable, but not far off.

And I think the amount of support that he will have among among the rank and file, you know, of the hacks and therefore by extension, you know, the public at large who are all, of course, because they're cricket public, they're ready to go.

They're ready to tear into their own team because that's what we do.

I think there'll be very little rope left for him if New Zealand win.

There's a lot at stake for him.