Brendon McCullum has hailed an England group whose success in Pakistan will go down as “not just as an achievement, but a memory for the rest of their lives”.
England yesterday secured an historic 3-0 series clean sweep, the first team to whitewash Pakistan on home soil.
On their first tour here in 17 years, England arrived having previously only won two Tests in the country. In the space of three weeks, they won three more.
“It’s an amazing achievement,” said head coach McCullum, “I’m an incredible optimist, but to think you win 3-0 in these conditions, against a very good home side, is probably more than we expected — and we had to do it in three completely different ways.
“We were challenged tactically, technically and even emotionally with the things we’ve experienced with sickness off the field. It goes down not just as an achievement, but a memory for the guys for the rest of their lives.”
For six months, this England side have not put a foot wrong. Nine wins have come in 10 games, with records being broken at every turn. Multiple players have described the environment as the most enjoyable they have ever experienced, with the squad galvanised by a new mentality of putting entertainment first and worrying about results second.
It is a mantra that comes from new captain Ben Stokes, who has removed the fear of failure from his players and created an environment that has allowed 23-year-old Harry Brook to come in and flourish immediately.
“He brings them in and gives them confidence right from the go,” said McCullum, of Stokes’s influence over the younger players in the group. “And also the other guys in the environment, they’re consistent with the same messaging and attitude at training or in the hotel. They play an important part. Stokes is the leader, but there is a layer of implementation underneath. It’s a nice place to be.”
McCullum has joked that in his role he does “bugger all” — a quip that can be made in confidence, given the team’s success, but it is not a sentiment shared by the wider squad, with many of the younger players, including Brook, having grown up with McCullum as an idol.
“There’s so much talent right through English cricket,” added McCullum. “Seeing it come out and what it can do without fear of failure. Harry is a great example. He has a high ceiling in all forms of the game.
“I am pleased we did not crowbar him in last year, as well. The temptation when you get a player like that is to make way for him, but that is not the right way to do anything in sport.
“He waited for his chance. He was brilliant around the group and he is getting the rewards now. It puts us in a good position to build world-class players and make selection difficult.”
In Stokes and McCullum, English cricket is, in effect, currently led by Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley: two superstars, split by a generation.
Their collective status within the game and the attitude which they look to impose on others is summarised by the fact the pair share the record for the most number of sixes struck in Test cricket: 107.
Stokes, despite his best efforts, failed to get over the line in Pakistan, with his final scoring shot of the tour an attempted slog which, had it gone for six, would also have been the winning runs.
Stokes was able to laugh about the disappointment of failing to pass McCullum’s record, the only one he has admitted to caring about in his relatively short tenure. “He has been on my shoulder a while now, every time I go out to bat,” he said.
“I want him to do it,” McCullum responded. “I’ll have a nice bottle of red when he does. Just get on with it. It’s consuming his life, just hit one over the fence and we can crack on.”
