Under the new leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes, England started their Test journey with a series win over New Zealand.
Riding on Jonny Bairstow’s brutal 136 off 92 balls, the hosts chased down the target of 299 on the final day at Trent Bridge to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.
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The new regime is certainly making a difference as England had failed to win any of their previous five Test series.
On Thursday (June 16), veteran pacer Stuart Broad opened up about the positive impact of the newly-appointed coach on the England Test team.
"There's no doubt that Baz has had an impact already. It does feel really fresh and exciting in the changing room. It's a very positive language," Broad quoted as saying by AFP.
He then revealed that the England coach told his team to "run towards the danger" when the hosts were struggling at 93/4 during the chase.
"It's very forward thinking, all about how to move this game forward. This is no dig but at tea, when we were four down with the game in the balance slightly, I've certainly been in changing rooms in the past where that would be shut up shop time,” Broad stated.
"Baz's team talk was very much 'let's attack the danger; let's run towards the danger' so every part of your mind is about going for this win.
"It was never really a case of 'if we lose one we might shut up shop'. It was always 'we're going to win' and if it doesn't work, don't worry about it," he added.
According to Broad, McCullum’s mantra is to enjoy the game and have fun. He also had special praise reserved for his cricketing brain.
"I don't think he's spoken particularly deeply, his whole mantra is about enjoyment and fun. The energy is: how good's Test cricket? How good's this ground? What can we get out of today?" he said.
"He looks like a guy who has a cricket brain that is working all the time, he's thinking how we can change the game.
"It's not just praising guys who get a hundred, it's tiny little things, bits of fielding, momentum changes in the game. He will bring attention to that."
(With AFP inputs)
