PAK vs ENG | Ben Stokes’ ability to get the very best out of each member is impressive, states Brendon McCullum
England’s red-ball head coach Brendon McCullum has backed Ben Stokes’ leadership skills, stating he has the ability to get the absolute best from each member of the side. McCullum further added that Stokes takes away the pressure of failure from players which inspires them to excel.
England recently registered a whitewash over Pakistan in a three-match Test series, leading Ben Stokes to earn praise by many for his captaincy. With a win in the third Test by eight wickets, England registered their ninth victory in the space of ten matches. Head coach Brendon McCullum showered praise on Stokes’ captaincy as well, stating he gets the best out of each player in the squad.
"The skipper was absolutely 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,” McCullum said to the Sky Sports.
"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 come out."
England's attacking template turned out to be successful throughout the series and it played a key role in their triumph. Their approach to put pressure on the opposition with quick scoring was evident since the first day of the tour when they racked up 506/4 in just 75 overs. McCullum made it clear that the team intends to force the result with their aggressive style.
"It was about playing the role that the team needs you to play, rather than getting too caught up in your own 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 have gone down that route,” he stated.
However, England's ability to wrap up the opposition was equally critical for the win over the hosts, if not more. The team used various tactics to outplay the opponent batters as McCullum praised his players' ability to take all 20 wickets in a Test match.
"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,” he explained.