England is all set to kick start its home season under the new Test captain, Ben Stokes, and head coach Brendon McCullum with the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand.
The much-awaited Test series will start with the first Test on Thursday, June 2, at Lord’s Cricket Ground, where the fans will see Stokes and McCullum’s debut as captain and coach in an international arena.
Before the start of England’s new era, Stokes heaped praise on McCullum and the new coach’s coaching style, philosophy, and impact on the team ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Stokes told reporters in the eve of Lord’s Test: “He has pretty much-done everything like he explained, the way he coaches,’. He hasn’t thrown one ball yet, he has lived up to that, but he has been good. He is all about making everyone feel, in his words, ’10 feet tall’.”
He added, “I think it is pretty obvious in the way he will speak in the dressing room, because of the way he played cricket and when he was in charge of New Zealand. It’s been a good few days working with him," the New Zealand media quotes Stokes as saying on the eve of the first Test.”
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On his own term as Test captain, the star all-rounder said: “I just want everyone to feel free under my captaincy. Obviously, there has been talk around the word ‘reset’, which is something I don’t particularly like. I just see this as a complete and utter blank canvas for this test team going forward.”
He added, “We have got so much experience in that dressing room, with myself, Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, and at the other end we’ve younger lads with inexperience. But this is our time, we are going to dictate how things go, going forward. There is nothing on this blank canvas. Everyone is starting fresh now, whether you are Matt Potts or Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson.”
Stokes also denied captaincy duties will put him down as an all-rounder, as he is looking forward to his new role.
He said, “It is a new responsibility, but I will just be going out there, trying to do the same thing as I have in my games that I have played already, which is to try and win games for England.”
The skipper signed off by saying, “I just have a bit more to think about now. I am excited, but I don’t see this as any hindrance to what I bring to the team, as a few people have suggested I might. “It is going to be a very proud moment, but it is what it is.”
(With stuff.co.nz Inputs)
