We can make Test cricket great again
BRENDON McCullum says making England strong again will SAVE Test cricket.
The New Zealander has been appointed to halt the decline of a team that has won just one of its last 17 matches and will report for duty at the end of this month to begin work with new captain Ben Stokes.
McCullum was one of the most buccaneering players around during his on-field career and he is confident that making England a competitive, attractive outfit can provide a lift to the wider Test game.
Thrive
He said: “Test cricket has always been the pinnacle for me and maybe the popularity of it has somehow trended south of late.
“If red-ball cricket is to not just sustain but to thrive, it needs England to be playing an attractive brand of Test cricket, which is competing with Australia, India, New Zealand.
“It’s a big, lofty goal but it’s what is in front of us.
“That is what enthused me, if we can get that right, to get England back to where they
By GEOFF TRUEMAN
– where we – should be, which is top of the pile.
“Challenging the best teams in the world, playing the brand that appeals to the next generation, then we’re able to get Test cricket to a stage where kids are wanting to play it rather than just white ball.”
Turning his message to the fans of his adopted country, he added: “If we can achieve the ambitions both Stokesy and myself have, it’s going to be a team that is certainly worth following.
“Hopefully we can play that kind of entertaining – I won’t say cavalier, because that’s probably what other people expect us to do – cricket.
“It’s a simple philosophy but if we get that right, with the talent that exists in the English cricket set-up, hopefully we’ll get results to go in the right direction and build something together.”
McCullum also spoke of his close relationship with England’s one-day captain Eoin Morgan, revealing the pair speak on a daily basis, and described his new limitedovers counterpart Matthew Mott as a “really astute coach” who operates “without ego”.
On the sharing of multiformat players, he added: “Our relationship will be good. There’ll be times when we fight over players, no doubt, but we’ll try and come to the right decision for the player and the right decision for English cricket.”
Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara has been recalled to the India squad for July’s fifth Test against England at Edgbaston.
Pujara was dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka in March, which India won 2-0.
Injury
The 34-year-old has been in outstanding form for Sussex this season, scoring four centuries in eight innings to average 120 in the County Championship.
Ravindra Jadeja, whose IPL season was ended by a rib injury, is also part of a 17-man party led by Rohit Sharma.
Batter Ajinkya Rahane misses out after being ruled with a hamstring injury.
The fifth Test will be staged at Edgbaston from July 1-5, with India leading 2-1.
Last summer’s decider at Old Trafford was called off when India were unable to field a team due to COVID cases in the squad.