Karachi: England head coach Brendon McCullum on Tuesday praised skipper Ben Stokes for his leadership skills after their 3-0 whitewash in the three-match Test series against Pakistan, saying he will only get better. The former New Zealand batsman is being credited with bringing about a paradigm shift in England’s approach which saw the team perform incredibly well to win the series in Pakistan.
McCullum said on ‘Sky Sports’, “Ben Stokes has made a lot of changes in the team in the last one year with his influence on and off the field.” He said, “Many things were done lightly while many things were done with great understanding.”
The coach, who brought an aggressive approach to the team’s batting, said, “He has the hunger to keep taking the match forward which is very impressive.” For me though, it is about managing the players in the team. It is consistency, it is passion and drive that he has got to make a difference to Test cricket and England cricket. He is most influential.”
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McCullum said, “I consider myself lucky that Stokes became the captain of the team when I took charge of the team. He will be better than better. That would be amazing to see.” Stokes termed Pakistan’s 3-0 Test series win as very special. He said in the post-match press conference, “When he goes home for Christmas and New Year, he will be immersed in it. Winning 3-0 here is something to look back on with pride.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam said that his team is going through a rebuilding phase. He said, “We will assess the mistakes made in this series and try not to repeat them. There have been a lot of positives for us in this series as well.” (agency)