Kolkata, May 21 -- England have reportedly decided to part ways with data analysts Nathan Leamon and Freddie Wilde in a clear message that they are going to rely more on instinctive cricket than a numbers-backed strategy. It's not a shocking move because as far as shelf life goes, Leamon - he has been with the England setup since 2009, even sitting in on some selection meetings - has been in this role longer than even some of the most established cricketers. More so because Brendon McCullum has always been vocal about players trusting their instinct since he took over as the Test team coach in 2022. Now that he is also England's white-ball coach, this decision was on the cards. Leamon - a Cambridge University maths graduate - famously enjoyed a great rapport with Eoin Morgan who led England to their maiden ODI World Cup triumph in 2019 and the T20 World Cup win in 2022. It was Leamon who set up a system in 2009 that helped England players familiarise themselves with how to work with HawkEye data. Later, he had controversially trialled a system of coded signals from the dressing room during a T20I series in South Africa, essentially relaying bowling and fielding combination ideas to Morgan, a tactic the then England captain had staunchly defended. It was because of Morgan that Leamon officially joined KKR in 2021, a move that expedited a data revolution within the IPL franchises. Wilde - who is also an analyst with RCB - joined as England's white-ball analyst much later, in 2023. The overarching thought in the last few years has been that data analysis is more relevant in white-ball formats, especially franchise cricket. That narrative grew once Morgan retired, making way for Jos Buttler who wasn't very keen on using data. The results too haven't really justified keeping on a team of analysts, what with England failing in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and this year's Champions Trophy. It's not as if England are completely doing away with data analysis since red-ball analyst Rupert Lewis is still on board, but this definitely feels like a McCullum-prompted merger to streamline the overall staff. It's also clear that McCullum wants his players to be more accountable for their actions. He doesn't believe in team meetings and has often driven home the theory that cricket should be instinctive, probably why England's defeats have been as spectacular as their wins since he took over. With McCullum removing the over dependence on data, it remains to be seen how the cricketers react to it. The timing of this decision is crucial though, now that Harry Brook is the new white-ball leader with a T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup scheduled in 2026 and 2027 respectively. However, there's no denying that England are due for a major Test transition soon, given that Joe Root is 34, Jonny Bairstow 35, Adil Rashid 37, while Ben Stokes and Mark Wood have broken down too frequently to warrant hope that they will be around for long. The white-ball roster is already in transition, but the inconsistency of several players and the defeats in ICC events already stings. Not to forget the extent to which England have tinkered with their domestic cricket that it has basically corrupted the feeder system. County cricket is in a mess, the domestic 50-over competition doesn't attract homegrown talent because they are busy playing in The Hundred, essentially robbing the uncapped players of an opportunity to hone their instinct before making their international debut. Like Jordan Cox who had never played a List A game in their domestic competition before making his ODI debut last October. There are more players coming up the same way. It is this tranche of cricketers McCullum expects to go by their instinct in the near future. Without extensive data support, that seems a gamble....