McCullum all praise for English players

Coach Brendon McCullum says he is “in awe of how good” the players in his England squad can be. McCullum is preparing to lead England in two Tests in his native New Zealand on the back of nine wins in 10 matches playing a thrilling style of cricket. Since McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took over in May last year, England have achieved a scoring rate of 4.77 runs per over, significantly faster than the rest of the world, while only Australia are taking wickets at a swifter and cheaper rate. McCullum had praise for Stokes, the all-rounder whose inspirational leadership is adding to a list of achievements that includes match-winning performances in England’s 2019 50-over World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup final triumphs, and his innings in the 2019 Headingley Ashes Test victory, one of the greatest ever played by an Englishman. “With the skipper in charge, I’m not sure what’s possible because he’s a guy who writes his own scripts and achieves some pretty special things,” said McCullum.