Brendon McCullum on England’s Test future
There have never been so many opportunities for top talent to develop in the sport as the T20 franchise circuit is booming with lucrative contracts being offered around the world.
More than 60 England-qualified players made their way to leagues in South Africa, Australia and the United Arab Emirates over the winter, while the likes of Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran and Jason Roy all chose to pursue their careers as Exercising White Ball Specialists.
Dire predictions about the allure of the five-day format’s future are not new, but McCullum’s England buck the trend, not only with the infectious style they have embraced but the sense of joy and camaraderie that results.
“You have a crack in life”
England kicked off this month’s tour of New Zealand with a team bonding camp in Arrowtown, where the aim of the game was to create memories rather than hundreds.
“There are so many options these days that Test cricket has to be fun not only on the field but also off the field,” he explained.
“Test cricket is tough and traveling the world can be difficult, but it should be a fun time in your life and you should be able to enjoy it not only on the field but off the field as well. Hopefully things the boys have done in the last week or so will be memories to take with them for a long time.
“They try to let these guys know if they get on the plane to fly overseas or jump in the car to go to Lord’s or whatever to join the team, they know they’re making a great one will have time. Hopefully the results will follow.
“You can’t guarantee that, but what you can do is make sure you put some money in the bank when it comes to experiences and relationships. I always felt like playing cricket was all about cricket and sometimes you forget about the fun. You have a crack in life, why wouldn’t you want to enjoy it? That’s the theory, we’ll see how it works, but it’s worth a try.”
McCullum’s philosophy may be more familiar to the self-help industry than the ebb and flow of an international dressing room, but with nine wins from ten games since he and captain Ben Stokes took the helm, early results tell their own story.
England’s previously regimented approach to Test preparations has also changed, with a planned four-day game against an NZ XI being halved at the request of tourists and Stokes opting not to play at all.
This decision was made with McCullum’s full blessing and the Kiwi is confident his skipper’s appetite for the big event will see through the day.
“Some characters don’t need warm-up games. The bigger the competition, the more they appear,” he said.
“He’s never been a warm-up guy and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
England squad join the race?
Rather than contest 90 overs under lights at Hamilton on Saturday, McCullum will be keeping an eye on the Herbie Dyke Stakes at nearby Te Rapa racecourse, where the horse he co-owns, Defibrillate, is happy to challenge for the £330,000 purse.
“I have a second favorite in Group One so I will definitely be there,” he said.
“It might even be the favorite after the (England) boys come in.”
England will certainly be the favorites to claim another series win against the Black Caps after hitting new heights with their 3-0 win over Pakistan before Christmas.
“Pakistan was incredible. We’ve gained some experience that will stay with us forever, but this is a whole different challenge against a team that’s been incredibly impressive on their own terms over the past five or six years,” McCullum said.
“We need to be pretty sharp but I’m pretty confident the lads will play the style of cricket that we’ve become accustomed to. I don’t think we’ve reached the limit and I think it’s still pretty new to us how we play.”