How Brendon McCullum changed the culture of England cricket - in just two weeks

By Nick Hoult

He is only two weeks into a four year contract but already Brendon McCullum has changed England's approach to Test cricket by saying very little and urging his players to enjoy themselves.

It sounds simple but Test cricket is such a pressurised environment, unique in professional sport for the length of time players are thrown together, that the successful coaches are those who know how to lighten the mood, while still commanding respect, and resist the temptation to micromanage.

Two wins out of two including an extraordinary 299 run chase at Trent Bridge, completed with 22 overs to spare, has made this the most golden of honeymoon periods.

The players left the ground at 11.15pm on Tuesday night and picked up kebabs at Mega Munch takeaway on the way back to their hotel in Nottingham city centre, having been told by their head coach in his short debrief to enjoy the moment. They have not won many games recently and when they did over the last couple of summers they could not enjoy themselves due to Covid restrictions.

So far the players have described McCullum as an excellent communicator with clarity over what he expects from them. He has told them to ignore criticism from pundits or supporters and only listen to those within the team.

Before the second Test he was particularly keen to speak one on one with Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow, recognising both were struggling for different reasons. Pope was still coming to terms with his new role at No3 and poor England form while Bairstow needs to feel wanted, something that has been lacking in recent years.

McCullum has trimmed the number of backroom staff around the dressing room during play and has not spoken publicly since his arrival at the end of May. It is customary for the head coach to speak to the media at the end of every Test but McCullum has said he wants the players to take the limelight in victory, he will speak when they lose.

The conservative approach of the Root years has gone and there is direction from above about how the team should play. It is not long since Root was criticising James Anderson for bowling too short in the Adelaide Test only for Anderson to retort in his Telegraph Sport column that if it was a problem why did nobody from the management tell him during the game.

Anderson and Stuart Broad have pitched the ball up and even when they were going for runs on the first moring at Trent Bridge they stuck with trying to take wickets rather than dragging back their length and "bowl dry". England are batting at 4.19 an over in this series so far, quicker than any other at any time over the last five years. They are conceding runs at 3.4 an over, higher than in all but one series since 2017. It is expensive but partly due to their attacking lengths.

"I don't think he's spoken particularly deeply. His whole mantra is about enjoyment and fun. The energy is: how good's Test cricket? How good's this ground? He seems like he doesn't look too far ahead, enjoy the day, what can we get out today?" said Broad about the new coach - the fifth of his England career if you count both spells by Peter Moores.

It is no surprise players are chasing every ball to the boundary. Jack Leach and Crawley are said to have been caught by team-mates before the Lord's Test watching videos on YouTube of McCullum diving around in the outfield. They wanted to know how to impress. Leach ended up suffering concussion doing just that but was straight back in the side for the second Test.

Broad credited McCullum with the dismissal of Tom Blundell in the New Zealand second innings. He was caught at short third man off a short ball, Broad adopting a more attacking field. "Rather than having the bloke 20 yards further back to stop the four, it's if he strikes it well and he's 20 yards in, he could catch it. It's a tiny little mindset change, but it's about getting wickets, not stopping boundaries," said Broad.

McCullum has been a low key presence at nets, preferring the technical coaches to take control. He gave his first throwdowns, some gentle balls to Root, on the eve of the second Test. Whereas some coaches are assiduous note-takers during play, McCullum leaves that to the analysts.

The chat at tea on the final afternoon with England requiring another 160 at 4.2 an over was brief and encouraged Bairstow to go for it. McCullum and England's white ball hitters speak the same language. "He didn't say I'd prefer to lose than draw, but it was that mindset – it was going for a win at all costs. I want to win, find your way to do that. You have my full backing," said Broad.

It is the right time for McCullum. He has picked up a team that could not perform any worse. There are talented but unfulfilled batsmen who need a bit of self belief. Two legendary old bowlers who have seen it all before but relieved to be back in the side so more open to new ways than in the past. He has a captain already assured of his legacy after the 2019 Ashes and World Cup. Root always going to slot seamlessly back in the team without causing a fuss. His views on cricket are aligned with Rob Key, his boss, and Stokes. Most crucially, he does not have to deal with suffocating Covid bubbles. No wonder he described it as a job he could not turn down.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission