Jonny Bairstow claimed people are waiting for England to fail at the Cricket World Cup as they battle for semi-final qualification.
The pre-tournament favourites have lost three of their seven round-robin matches.
England face tough clashes against India and New Zealand in their final two games as they look to secure a place in the top four.
Bairstow dismissed criticism from Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan, who have been less than complimentary about the inconsistent performances.
Pietersen branded skipper Eoin Morgan ‘scared’ in the hosts’ 64-run loss to Australia, while former captain Vaughan fears England could be headed for their worst-ever World Cup.
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But Bairstow believes any panic is consigned to those outside the England camp.
“It is just showbiz: they are paid to have an opinion, and if they don’t have an opinion they get sacked,” said Bairstow on Pietersen and Vaughan.
“I was in a radio interview and was surprised with a clip of Vaughan’s comments.
“Bloody hell. That’s pretty rich. But of course people are going to say things, of course they are.
“Because we’ve done so well, any opportunity for someone to see we’ve lost two games, they were always going to jump on it.
“People were waiting for us to fail. They are not willing us on to win, in many ways, they are waiting for you to get that loss, so they can jump on your throat.
“It’s a typical English thing to do, in every sport.”
Vaughan took exception to Bairstow’s comments, and responded on an Instagram post on Friday morning.
“How wrong can @jbairstow21 be?” he wrote.
“Never has England team had so much support but it’s you and your team that has disappointed Jonny .. WIN 2 games and you are in the semis .. With this negative, pathetic mindset I am concerned though .. it’s not the media’s fault you have lost 3 games .. !!!”
Bairstow went on to draw comparison with the treatment England’s rugby union side have experienced.
“Look how successful Eddie Jones was, then all of a sudden a training camp is wrong and it’s his fault. The same with Stuart Lancaster.
“At the end of the day there’s 30 blokes sat in the meetings and in the dressing rooms that know what we’ve been working towards for the last three years.
“So it’s not just the players staying true to it, it’s the coaches, the medical staff; it’s a collective, and that’s what we have been.
“Now we just have to be relaxed: the more you tense up, then the more you’re going to go into your shell and therefore not play how you’ve been playing.
“The more true to ourselves we can be, you can almost go the complete opposite to what we’ve done to be really honest with you.
“That’s how you get your 480s. You almost go the complete opposite.”
England are clinging on to the fourth and final semi-final place as the group stage is coming to a close.
They will need results against India, on Sunday, and New Zealand, on Wednesday, to keep hold of that spot.
