New Zealand and England, led by Kane Williamson and Ben Stokes, will start the Test cricket equation after a long IPL hiatus. Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who recently returned from the IPL, will be the coach of England from the upcoming series. The recent one year has not been special for England, first losing the Ashes series and then facing defeat at the hands of West Indies. Due to this, Joe Root had to relinquish his captaincy.
But England then handed over the command of England to Ben Stokes as the captain. England’s experienced bowlers Anderson and Broad have returned for the Test series and the series will begin on June 2 at Lord’s.
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In an interaction Rob Key says,
“This is the start of a new era for our Test team under the stewardship of Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum),” Managing Director for England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said. “With a blend of youth and experience, we have selected an exciting squad that can compete with New Zealand in next month’s Test series. We have rewarded players in Harry Brook and Matty Potts who have had outstanding starts to the County season, and they deserve the opportunity to stake a claim at this level.”
While newly appointed head coach Brendon McCullum has his first words after the role,
“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,” he said at his unveiling as Chris Siverwood’s successor at Lord’s. “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.
“It (taking England to No 1) is what we are all aspiring to do,” McCullum said. “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.
Full schedule of the Black Caps’ tour of England:
First Test: June 2-6 at Lord’s, London.
Second Test: June 10-14 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Third Test: June 23-27 at Headingley, Leeds.
