Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad has responded to Alastair Cook’s concerns about England’s training methods under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Cook had recently expressed doubts over the “relaxed” approach within the England setup, particularly in light of their early exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy and a winless white-ball series in India.

Speaking on the Load Of BS On Sports podcast, Alastair Cook admitted he wasn’t sure if he would have enjoyed playing under McCullum’s coaching philosophy. “All my preparation was done leading up to it. I hit a lot of balls. I see the setup now with Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, and it’s a lot more relaxed. I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed that relaxedness,” Cook said.

Broad, who played his final Test under McCullum and Stokes, defended the team’s approach, stating that while match days are kept relaxed to allow players to perform freely, the training sessions remain intense and high quality.

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Taking to social media platform X, Stuart Broad wrote, “It’s more relaxed on match days to create an environment where players can be themselves and play without fear. My experience of training under Baz (McCullum) & BS (Ben Stokes) was as it always was at the top level—there to improve. The quality of training is always down to the players’ approach.”

It’s more relaxed on match days. To try & create an environment where players can be themselves and play without fear. My experience of training under Baz & BS was as it always was at the top level. There to improve. The quality of training is always down to the players approach. https://t.co/sFsXjudG7C

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) March 6, 2025

Expanding on his point, Broad emphasized that elite players thrive because of their commitment to training. “If a player doesn’t train well and improve, they won’t survive at the top level, and it will show. The players with longevity are the best trainers—Cook, Root, Stokes, Anderson, Buttler, KP, Collingwood, Bell, JMB, Woakesy, to name a few.”

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England’s team culture has also been scrutinized following controversial statements by Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone. When a fan questioned whether England’s players were “trying to out-stupid each other,” Broad acknowledged the issue but redirected the blame. “I completely agree some of the comments from the players in the press are poor. That’s more about certain players not portraying things correctly rather than a judgement on Baz. Listen to him speak—he’s very good.”