'Bazball' has changed the dynamics of England's batting approach in Test cricket and their Kiwi coach Brendon McCullum is very clear that irrespective of outcome, his team won't deviate from its aggressive tactics against India in the five-Test series, where most tracks will offer substantial turn.
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
England have only drawn one from 35 Tests in the McCullum-Stokes regime, with one of their exhilarating run chases in that spell coming when they reached 378 against India in 2022 -- the only time India have lost when defending Test totals of more than 350.
'Mohammed Siraj and the passion of the Indian boys was too strong and ultimately they deserve to win this Test match.'
After the end of the fifth and final Test match against India in Dharamsala, England head coach Brendon McCullum said that the visitors were more "timid" as the series went on.
KKR had just two wins out of seven matches at the end of the first leg and were placed seventh. But, in the second half of the tournament in the UAE, they won five out of their remaining league matches to make the play-offs, and then the final.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
The head of International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit has categorically rejected suggestions it struck a deal to protect New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum from punishment for not reporting an alleged match-fixing approach in 2008.
England have won all four Tests since the new head coach took over last month.
'Bazball' could be the most used term in world cricket over the last one month but the inspiration behind it, England Test coach Brendon McCullum, finds the incessant talk around the newly coined word 'silly'.
Jofra Archer will play his first Test in more than four years as he replaces fellow seamer Josh Tongue for the third Test at Lord's.
Former West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin feels the role of wicketkeepers has evolved over the years since Adam Gilchrist came into prominence.
Global media has hailed New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as 'the best batsman in the world' for his blistering knock of 195 runs against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
Tim Southee equalled West Indies great Chris Gayle's tally of sixes in Test cricket to move to joint-fourth spot in the all-time list.
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
Glenn McGrath said his prediction this time is based on how England were held to a 2-2 series draw by India in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy five-Test series.
Former wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik believes Shubman Gill is yet to realise the 'enormity' of what it means to be India's Test captain.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
England wicketkeeper Jordan Cox has been ruled out of the three-Test series against New Zealand after fracturing his thumb in a net session during a tour match in Queenstown.
'I think McCullum wants to take this up because he sees this as a major challenge.'
The spotlight will be firmly on Mohammed Shami as the Indian team contemplates his inclusion in the playing XI.
Statistical highlights from Day 1 of the opening Test between India and New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum may reportedly retire from international cricket if there is any relapse of his crippling back problem during or after the first Test against the West Indies in Dunedin, which is his home town.
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League after injuring his left hamstring during the Gujarat Lions's loss to Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.
McCullum, who is currently in charge of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders, was keen on taking the job
'We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body's at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad.'
'He wants to do something significant and leave a legacy and impact on Test cricket and he is getting there.'
West Indies batting legend Vivian Richards has lauded swashbuckling New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum for posting the fastest ton in Test cricket off just 54 balls, bidding adieu to the game on an incredible high. Richards, who held the record for the quickest hundred in Tests off 56 balls jointly with Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq till McCullum broke it yesterday, was all praise for the Kiwi skipper for his record-breaking feat. "Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Brendon...(I've) been a great fan of yours for many years. Well done on your achievement," said Richards in the video on Twitter, posted by Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Quetta Gladiators. "And if there was going to be an individual who you would've liked to have surpassed whatever you would've achieved in life, certainly it would be you. You're one of those individuals who help to put bums on seats. Long may that continue. Well done, man," he added.
In 2008, Brendon McCullum got the inaugural IPL off to a scintillating start for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore. McCullum's sizzling 73-ball 158 set the ball rolling for IPL in its very first game.
'Rooty has got 11,500 Test runs, he's brilliant, but he's so desperate to fit in to what Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum) are doing that sometimes I don't think he gets his balance of attack and defence right.'
Former West Indies great Brian Lara has named Brendon McCullum as skipper of his Dream World Cup XI, which has three Indians in it.
England star batsman Joe Root has expressed his confidence in the team's approach under coach Brendon McCullum, saying the 'Bazball' philosophy perfectly complements the players' skills. Root, returning to England's ODI setup for the series against India, sees endless possibilities for the team under McCullum's guidance. He highlighted the exciting blend of skills within the squad and believes this team has the potential to achieve great things.
While the triple century against India and an away series win over West Indies were the highlights of his career, Brendon McCullum said it was the camaraderie of the dressing room that would linger longest in his memory.
Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum says it is also comforting to be at home as the world battles a pandemic, which has made isolation the new normal. He said the situation demands that everyone stays at home and maintains social distancing, the only way to curb the spread of the virus, which has caused thousands of deaths worldwide.
A Dismayed New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Monday that national captain Brendon McCullum was not under investigation for match-fixing, as reported earlier by a British daily, and added that he had only given testimony to the International Cricket Council on the understanding that it would be kept confidential.
England captain Jos Buttler is confident that the upcoming T20I series against India will not impact their preparation for the Champions Trophy.
The ground brought sanity to the wild, soaring numbers for the batters in the series. The wicket had grass, and it made the batters struggle.
The 33-year-old said his rehabilitation was going well and that he would undergo a scan on Wednesday.
Brendon McCullum wants James Anderson and Stuart Broad to be in his Ashes squad
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum batted with freedom in the nets on Wednesday and should be fit to play Sunday's ICC World Cup clash against Afghanistan.
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