Coach McCullum praised captain Ben Stokes after cleaning Pakistan, said – now he will be better

Karachi. England head coach Brendon McCullum on Tuesday praised skipper Ben Stokes for his leadership skills after their 3-0 whitewash in the three-match Test series against Pakistan, saying he will only get better. The former New Zealand batsman is being credited with bringing about a paradigm shift in England’s approach which saw the team perform incredibly well to win the series in Pakistan. McCullum said that Ben Stokes has made many changes in the team in the last one year with his influence on and off the field. He said that many things were done in a light manner while in many things a lot of understanding was shown.

The coach, who has brought an aggressive approach to the team’s batting, said that he has the hunger to keep taking the match forward which impresses a lot. For me though, it is about managing the players in the team. It’s that consistency, it’s that passion and drive that he’s got to make a difference to Test cricket and England cricket. He is most influential. McCullum said that I consider myself lucky that Stokes became the captain of the team when I took charge of the team. He will be better than better. That would be amazing to see.

Stokes termed Pakistan’s 3-0 Test series win as very special. He said at the post-match press conference that he would still be high on it when he goes home for Christmas and New Years. Winning 3-0 here is something to look back on with pride.” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said his team is going through a transition phase. He said that we will assess the mistakes made in this series and try not to repeat them. There have been many positives for us in this series as well.