New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) England's white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum is determined to shape a team capable of challenging for major trophies, with next year's 50-over World Cup firmly on his radar, as he prepares to return to Australia for a three-match ODI series.

McCullum, who was sacked as England's Test head coach midway through the English summer following a disappointing Ashes campaign last winter, said his focus was now firmly on improving the white-ball sides and building towards the World Cup.

"You can't really go back on the four years that you've had. You're just grateful for the opportunity that you got. With 12 months to go into a World Cup, it's a great opportunity to zero in and laser your focus on exactly where you think the areas are that you can get some improvement into these guys. And winning a World Cup would be amazing, but we know we're going to have to get better between now and then," McCullum said.

England will begin their three-match ODI series against Australia at Perth's Optus Stadium on November 13, returning to the venue where their disastrous Ashes campaign began with a two-day defeat in the opening Test last year.

However, McCullum insisted that his attention was firmly on the challenges ahead, describing the Australian tour as an opportunity for his inexperienced squad to test its methods and continue developing in the build-up to the World Cup.

"Firstly, it's nice to be back. An Australia tour is always a great tour. The cricket's always pretty competitive. We'll play at some great stadiums, against a good side, and continue to test our methods, towards the one-day World Cup. We know we need to keep getting better, but we've been presented with some good opportunities, and this will be one of those the next couple of weeks," he said.

McCullum also outlined the aggressive approach he wants England to adopt, stressing that the demands of their playing style would require a greater emphasis on fitness and preparation.

"We want to play a high-octane, robust style of play, which demands fitness elements to it. So for us, this is a great opportunity to have a little fitness block in and around the demand of this series," he added.

England will also play a 50-over warm-up against a Western Australia XI at the WACA on November 7 as part of their preparations for the series.

The former New Zealand captain acknowledged the challenge of adjusting to the pace and bounce of the Optus Stadium surface, describing it as having a 'trampoline bounce', but preferred to focus on the broader preparation for the tour.

England head into the Australia series after a disappointing campaign in the Pakistan tri-series, where they finished at the bottom of the standings after losing three of their four matches, missing out on the final.

Despite the disappointment, McCullum felt the experience would benefit a relatively inexperienced squad as it continues to build towards next year's global event.

"Yeah, it was disappointing. Obviously, it was great to play in the tri-series. With the view towards the World Cup, the ability to be able to bounce between games, and different tactics, and different oppositions was good. We obviously didn't quite achieve what we wanted to, but we played some really good cricket and learned some great lessons. They should hold you in good stead in 12 months," he said.

"We've got a pretty inexperienced team. These guys haven't played a lot of one-day cricket, so any opportunity to get experience and education, and those pressure moments, so that you can start to just understand a little bit better, it's going to be good."

England have won 11 and lost 11 of their last 22 ODIs since Harry Brook replaced Jos Buttler as captain, highlighting the work still required to establish consistency in the format.

McCullum, meanwhile, was reluctant to revisit England's Ashes disappointment, acknowledging that opportunities had been missed but insisting that his priorities had shifted.

"I like to focus on what's coming and I think this is a very different side. This is a different form of the game. The Test stuff, I had a great time while I was there, but my focus is very much on trying to make this cricket team the very best team that we can be, and to challenge seriously for trophies," he said.

Reflecting on his four-year stint with the Test team, McCullum described it as one of the most rewarding experiences of his cricketing career and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to now help shape England's white-ball future.

"I loved the four years that I had with the Test team. It was one of the greatest experiences I've had in the game and I'm forever grateful for the chance. But the good thing is, I get the opportunity to try, alongside Brookie (Harry Brook) and some key people, to help shape the one-day side and the T20 side moving forward. And that's very much where my focus is," he added.

McCullum was appointed England's white-ball head coach as the team looks to rebuild its limited-overs ambitions, with the 2027 ODI World Cup providing the next major target.

--IANS

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