England Cricket. (Source – England Cricket)
England completed a 3-0 whitewash against the West Indies in the recently concluded Test series at home which left head coach Brendon McCullum satisfied with the team’s growth. This series marked a significant turnaround for the Three Lions following their 1-4 defeat in India earlier this year.
After the disappointing performance in India, McCullum had promised to refine the Bazball style of play. The series against West Indies provided the perfect opportunity to showcase this evolution, demonstrating that England’s batters have made some changes in their Test game. McCullum expressed his satisfaction with the team’s progress.
“It’s really satisfying, the growth of the side in general, Sometimes, when you lose, you get a period of reflection and what we’ve seen is a team that has bounced back with a bit more of a harder feel to it,” McCullum said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The coach acknowledged that while England is not yet a finished product, they have made significant strides towards becoming a team capable of winning both at home and abroad.
“The group and the understanding of how we want to play as a team is starting to get to where we want it to. We’re not the finished product, absolutely, but this has been a step forward. You’re starting to formulate the sort of side able to go up against the best teams in the world. There were delicate moments in this series and it really tested us, so it was extremely satisfying,” he added.
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We knew we needed to make a couple of improvements: Brendon McCullum
The series introduced new faces to the England squad, including Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith. These newcomers impressed, with Atkinson claiming 22 wickets across three Tests and Smith scoring over 200 runs at a strike rate of nearly 72. The head coach praised their performances.
“What we’ve seen from Gus Atkinson, from Shoaib Bashir and Jamie Smith.. these guys have shown that international cricket is where they belong and they’ve performed accordingly. It’s really satisfying from that point of view, but also the growth of the side in general,” he further added.
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The coach also highlighted the performance of Chris Woakes, who stepped up as the leader of the fast-bowling pack in James Anderson’s absence. McCullum praised Woakes’ ability to reverse the ball on flat surfaces and clinch out crucial wickets.
“The way he bowled on these flat surfaces [in the West Indies series], reversing the ball, he was able to prise out some wickets. He’s a remarkable cricketer who probably hasn’t played as much as he could have in international cricket but every time he has, he’s done really well,” McCullum concluded.