London 13th Sep : England men’s red-ball coach Brendon McCullum has heaped a lot of praise on captain Ben Stokes, calling him “a extraordinary, rare individual” who’s a master thought-leader of the game.He admitted that he was amazed by the impact and success Stokes was as England’s Test captain.Under Stokes under his direction, England recently secured a 1-1 series win over South Africa, winning the third Test at The Oval by nine wickets.It also means that England finished their home season with a high note, with their remarkable turnaround in Test cricket under the direction of Stokes and McCullum as the main highlight.
After having only won one Test in the last 17 games, England have won six out of seven games in this summer’s home summer which began with an sweep of 3-0 of World Test champions New Zealand and then an unprecedented chase of 378 to beat India by seven wickets, and then returned from a deficit to beat the Proteas by a score of 2-1.
“It’s been a total pleasure working with the players (England players) I’ve especially enjoyed working with the captain (Stokes).He’s a very rare human being and a remarkable person.He’s a brilliant thought-leader of the game, and his messages have been fantastic as well.I was thinking he’d be great but I didn’t realize he could be this great.An instinctual leader.It’s a great fit for him.” McCullum told McCullum to Sky Sports after third Test concluded.
McCullum who took over as the red-ball coach in April, admitted that he was awed at the level of talent in the England Test team and is enjoying his new position in the present.”Well I didn’t really wish for to be given the (England) post! But now that I’ve been offered it, and I’m enjoying it! Yes, I am.It’s definitely different from anything I’ve done before.
“I’m enjoying the chance to be able to work with the best of the top athletes in the world.I’ve always thought of English cricket and believed that there was a lot of talent.I didn’t know how talented there was and how talented these players are, and how they think about the game.”
Reminiscing about an unforgettable Test season at home for England, McCullum elaborated on how the team decided to play their unique style of cricket, instead of looking at the final outcome.”We were almost tempted to remove the outcomes out of play – and I am aware that we are judged by them , but we wanted to almost took them out of playing and play the kind of cricket that’s true to (Ben) Stokesy’s leadership as well as the players in the team and I think we did that well.”
“We’re well aware that you’re being judged based on results but for us it was a little more than that.When you’re given an opportunity like this and also the burden of having to be in these posts of leadership you consider the places Test cricket is played around the world and how significant it is for every one of players who played in the past and the significance of the game in international cricket.”
“For us it was an issue of trying to bring a little bit of excitement back to the game, to get fans in to ensure that they’re having fun Test cricket and hopefully bring some more meaning to a sport that has been under a of pressure.of pressure of the last few years.This was the primary goal and will remain as it goes forward.”
nr/akm
