McCullum backs England to kick on after epic Ashes fightback
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rendon McCullum believes this summer time’s Ashes comeback has set the template for England‘s future and informed his gamers: “We still have so much to achieve”.
England rounded off an exciting sequence with a dramatic Fifth Test victory at The Oval yesterday, the retiring Stuart Broad claiming the ultimate two Australian wickets to fall as Ben Stokes‘s facet levelled the sequence at 2-2 with a 49-run victory.
While the Ashes have once more been retained by Australia, England emerge from the summer time nonetheless on an upward trajectory underneath Stokes and McCullum, their entertaining, aggressive method vindicated by an excellent fightback from 2-0 down in opposition to the world champions.
“We have a certain style we try and exhibit every time we play,” mentioned McCullum. “The most pleasing aspect is when we were under the most pressure at 2-0 down we stayed true to that and were able to manufacture some results that allowed us to walk away at 2-2.
Winning (drawing) moment.
/ Getty Images“I feel for us, that’s our greatest probability of successful. The skipper and I firmly imagine that and a few of the performances we have seen from a few of the guys proper all through is testomony to that.”
England may still rue the Manchester downpour that denied them the chance to level the series heading into The Oval finale, with their next shot at winning back the Urn not until the winter tour of 2025-26.
However, McCullum insists that the progress already made since the change in leadership last summer offers reason to believe this is just the start for his team.
“We take a look at the expansion of the crew within the final 15 months,” said McCullum, who along with Stokes inherited a side that had won just one Test in 17 matches. “You look again to when the skipper took over [and we asked] would we be capable of tackle an incredible Australian crew and go toe to toe with them?
“I think the answer is yes and that’s a tremendous confidence booster for the group, but also testament to the investment of all the guys who have really gone quids in with their belief in this side.
“[The next Ashes] are clearly just a little manner away and there is definitely totally different challenges to cross earlier than then. But I’d think about once more it might be one other cracking sequence when the time comes.”
There are questions over whether many of the current crop will still be playing in two-and-a-half years’ time, but Broad and Moeen Ali are certain to be missing, both playing their final Tests at The Oval.
“They’re two unimaginable cricketers but in addition great individuals and nice characters within the dressing room,” McCullum added. “We’ll miss them, little question however they’ve left an enormous imprint on the facet.”