Brendon McCullum Praise to Ben Stokes: England Test Ben Duckett scored the winning shot and opened his arms towards Ben Stokes. They completed a 3-0 whitewash away in a country where they had won a total of two Test matches ever before.
But this isn’t the only record Stokes & co. made or broke after whitewashing their opponent. Win at National Stadium Karachi was their 9th in just 10 Test matches since Ben Stokes, and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach, respectively.
While talking to British Sports News agency Sky Sports in Karachi after his side clinched the series 3-0, McCullum heaped a lot of praise on Ben Stokes.
One of the most dangerous batters of his era said it is scary to think how good a leader Stokes could become after his transformative influence in the year just gone.
“The skipper was magnificent right throughout the series. Not just on the field, where everyone sees the decisions, he makes and the strings he pulls, but it’s his man-management and his ability to get the very best out of each member of the side off the field, which is the most impressive part from our point of view.”
“It’s the captain’s mantra; this side is very much in the image of the skipper, and Stokesy wants the guys to go out there and play with the most freedom they can.”
“He’s got the benefit of a long and distinguished career behind him, and he’s in that stage of his life where he wants to do something significant and make a real impact, not just on the game but on other people’s careers.
He’s identified that taking away that pressure and that fear of failure allows the talent and the skill to emerge.”
Talking about Zack Crawley and Ben Duckett, the former Kiwi player stated:
Brendon McCullum Praise to Ben Stokes After 3-0 – England Test
“That was more than I thought we would make, to be honest. The way that Crawley and Duckett started for us in that Test match laid a marker out for where this team wants to be and for how brave our cricket needs to be as well.”
“It was about playing the role that the team needs you to play rather than getting too caught up in your stuff, and it was a huge day that allowed us to try and force a result. Maybe the series would have been different if we hadn’t gone down that route.”
Like in series before under McCullum & Stokes, England managed to bowl out their opponent in each innings of the series; another aspect Brendon McCullum is impressed with:
Brendon McCullum Praise to Ben Stokes After 3-0 – England Test
“It’s a great achievement. If you look at the whole six or seven months, we’ve taken 20 wickets in a Test on nine out of 10 occasions.
So, it’s one thing scoring fast and putting teams under pressure with the bat, but you got to be able to bowl teams out as well.”
“And the mantra within the group is ‘how do we take wickets?’ Every time we’ve got the ball in our hand, ‘how are we going to try and get this guy out?’ If you go for runs, you go for runs, but we back ourselves that will chase those runs down later.
Once you have that mindset, you free yourself from worrying about runs. It allows you to look at things with a positive mantra.”
“The skipper never lets the game drift. He’s always got something happening. He’s always pulling a string somewhere, and the guys follow him.
It’s a great combination, and it makes it pretty easy when you’re watching from up in the coach’s box.
“There’s maverick in it and genius in a lot of it. He has an insatiable appetite to keep moving the game forward, which is super-impressive.
But for me, it’s the man management; it’s the consistency of message, it’s a pure passion and drives that he’s got to make a significant difference in Test cricket and English cricket, which is most impressive.”
While talking about his job as England coach, McCullum said:
Brendon McCullum Praise to Ben Stokes After 3-0 – England Test
“So I feel fortunate that I’ve taken over this job when Stokes has got the reins, and I think he’s only going to get better and better and better, which is quite scary.
Because if he continues to improve and drive this team forward, then, with the talent that sits within the dressing room, they will give it a good shake anyway.”
“I don’t do bugger all, to be honest. I make sure that the guys remain consistent with their own beliefs and that they all want to be the best version of themselves.
It’s a straightforward job, don’t tell my bosses. But I’m enjoying myself, and I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.”
