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McCullum aims for sustainable success with England's Test side
Follow UsBrendon McCullum has been appointed as head coach of England's Test side who will face off against New Zealand next month
England's new Test head coach Brendon McCullum said that his aim will be to create an pressure-free atmosphere which will help the team to be successful in the longer run.
The former New Zealand skipper said that he and England's Test captain Ben Stokes agree on playing with freedom.
"My skills are not necessarily around taking a team from good to great. My skills lie in turning a team in a bit of trouble into one that has long-term sustainable success. If you are going to change your entire life for something, it has got to be a pretty big challenge. And opportunities like this don't come around too often," McCullum said at his unveiling event at Lord's on Saturday.
McCullum felt that England's Test side can turn things around like what the white-ball side has done under Eoin Morgan's leadership.
"I looked at what England have achieved in white-ball cricket, and what Eoin Morgan has done is what I'm hoping to do with Ben Stokes. Why can't the same thing happen with the Test side? Ben wants to bring about that same freedom of mindset and strip away some of the noise that comes with playing at this level. My views are aligned with his," McCullum said.
McCullum said that his immediate aim will be to strengthen the team for the Ashes at home next year.
"It will take a bit of time but we want to make sure by the Ashes next year we will be taking on the best teams in the world and are either beating them or are very difficult to beat," he said.
The former Black Caps skipper admitted that he doesn't have intricate knowledge of England's domestic talent as he backed Ollie Pope for the No. 3 position.
"I picked Stokes, Root, Broad and Anderson (smiles). No, I don't have intricate knowledge of the players the other guys have so I respectfully kind of sat back a little bit. It's not a massive difference yet to the team that played previously but there are a couple of subtle changes there which may be a sign of how we want to play the game," he said.
"For instance, there's risk in playing Ollie Pope at three but all the guys in and around the side talk about how good he is and his potential. Let's see it in a position that's been difficult for the side. If he nails it, the middle order looks very, very good," he said.
England will take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series starting with the first Test from June 2-6 at Lord's.