According to Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum is already making England’s players “feel 10 feet tall” ahead of the first Test against the coach’s native New Zealand, which begins on Thursday at Lord’s.
The three-match series will be England’s first since new Test captain Stokes, born in New Zealand but raised in Cumbria in England’s northwest, took over from Joe Root.
It will also be England’s first game since former New Zealand captain McCullum was appointed as their Test coach, with the new leadership tandem hoping to turn around a squad that has won just one of their past 17 matches at this level and has gone over a year without winning a red-ball series.
They now face a New Zealand team led by Kane Williamson, McCullum’s replacement as captain, who won the maiden World Test title by beating India in the final at Southampton last year, soon after winning the 1-0 series against England.
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Despite all the talk of a new start, England chose a familiar-looking XI on Wednesday with just one debutant, fast bowler Matthew Potts.
Despite this, the impact of explosive all-rounder Stokes has prompted the return of seasoned new-ball combo James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
With 1,177 Test wickets between them, the duo were controversially left out of England’s recent 1-0 series defeat in the Caribbean.
With star batsman Joe Root now back in his preferred position of number four, Stokes has also been a driving force behind the decision to elevate Ollie Pope to number three, despite the Surrey batters’ limited Test record to keep struggling opener, Zak Crawley.
“This is our moment.”
Stokes told a pre-match press conference at Lord’s on Wednesday, “I’ve told the players that are in now: you’ve got the support.” “This is our moment, and we will direct the course of events… I want everyone to feel at ease under my command.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Brendon these last several days. He’s all about making people feel ’10 feet tall,’ as he puts it. I’m not anxious; I’m thrilled to get started.”
Potts, a Durham county teammate, gets his opportunity after an injury crisis cost England key fast bowlers such as Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, and Jofra Archer. The 23-year-old has 35 wickets in six County Championship matches this season.
New Zealand is yet to reveal their starting lineup; however, Daryl Mitchell will take the place of Henry Nicholls, who is injured.
However, considering that he just arrived in England last weekend after playing in the Indian Premier League final, there are worries over whether Trent Boult, the great left-arm fast, will be able to play at Lord’s.
New Zealand has several pacemen in its lineup, including Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jameson, who can all challenge England’s shaky top order.
“Trent is a world-class player, but our bowling assault has many variations,” Williamson said.
The 31-year-old batsman added that he had completely recovered from an elbow ailment and was looking forward to leading his “purists” at Lord’s, where he already has a coveted spot on the dressing room honours board courtesy of a century he scored against England at the London venue in 2015.
The teams, on the other hand, may not be met with a traditional full house for a Test at the ‘Home of Cricket,’ with thousands of tickets, some as expensive as £160 ($202) per day, still to be sold amid a cost of living crisis and the competing attractions provided by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who is also New Zealand’s head of state, celebrating her platinum jubilee this week.
“The ticket price is something that I believe will have to be looked at properly,” a worried Stokes added. “What is cricket without its fans?” “What is a sport if not for the fans?”
