Former New Zealand great Brendon McCullum yesterday said he had “bittersweet” emotions when he agreed to take on the role of turning around England’s cricket fortunes.
The 40-year-old, renowned for a “smash or crash” approach during his 101-Test career, which only ended six years ago, was on Thursday named as the new head coach of an England cricket side who have won only one of their past 17 Tests.
“Really excited, but also some bittersweet stuff in regards to having to turn the page on a couple of things,” McCullum told SENZ radio from India, where he is coaching Indian Premier League team the Kolkata Knight Riders. “In life, I think, if you’re going to change what you’re doing, then make sure it’s worth the risk of doing so and this is a big enough challenge to risk that, that’s for sure.”
Photo: AFP
McCullum’s first task will be preparing England for a three-Test series against New Zealand next month, which he said it would be “a little interesting” when asked how he would feel when the national anthems are played.
“Obviously, New Zealand is what I was able to be part of for so long and I’m incredibly passionate about what we built,” he said.
McCullum, embarrassed early in his reign as New Zealand captain when the side were bowled out for a paltry 45 against South Africa in 2013, is regarded as having played an integral part in developing the side into a leading cricket force and now World Test champions.
He sees his aggressive approach — he holds the records for the fastest Test century and the most Test sixes — as a perfect fit with England captain Ben Stokes, who also prefers an attacking game, and said they have an opportunity to revitalize Test cricket.
“And what an opportunity. What a chance in your life to be able to make a sizeable change and difference to a country as big as what England is,” he said. “For me, Test cricket is on a downward trend, in regards to popularity and where it sits. Whilst I was lucky enough to have a career in franchise cricket and white-ball cricket and all of that, Test cricket is my real love.”
“I sort of look at it and think if anyone is going to reinvigorate Test cricket and get it popular again, and try and attract the next generation of people, then it’s going to be England,” he said. “So if you can be at the real forefront of that, by playing an attractive brand of cricket which you play with a smile on your face and you try and entertain, then Test cricket has got a chance.”
As for his maiden series against New Zealand, McCullum was coy about England’s prospects.
“We’re playing against the World Test champions, so we’re massive underdogs,” he said.
Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) yesterday beat Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in their women’s singles semi-final match to advance to today’s final at the Thailand Open. The top-seeded Tai overcame a 10-21 first-game loss to seventh seed and former world champion Ratchanok to dominate the final two games 21-13, 21-19 in 58 minutes of play at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. World No. 2 Tai is today to face world No. 4 Chen Yufei of China. Chen yesterday bested Pusarla Venkata Sindhu 21-17, 21-16 to secure her spot in the final of the Super 500 tournament. On Friday, Tai overpowered China’s He Bingjiao 21-10,
Wimbledon, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, was on Friday stripped of ranking points by the sport’s main tours in a move that threatens to reduce the Grand Slam to the status of a high-profile exhibition event. The decision by the ATP and WTA was in response to Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine. “It is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022,” an ATP statement said. “Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a
Defending champions Taichung Blue Whale thrashed Taoyuan Mars 6-0 in Taiwanese women’s soccer over the weekend, while Hualien City rolled on with their fourth win to sit atop the league table. While Thai fullback Pitsamai Sornsai partnered with compatriot goalkeeper Nattaruja Muthtanawech on defense, Japanese midfielder Maho Tanaka opened the scoring for Blue Whale in Saturday’s match, kicking a screamer on a volley from outside the penalty box — her first goal of the season. The match remained 1-0 heading into the break, although Taoyuan Mars striker Ho Chia-huan, a student at Hsing Wu High School in New Taipei City, had good
Faced with a machete, a fighter leaps and locks his legs around another man’s neck, bringing him crashing down to a cacophony of cheers. This is vovinam, Vietnam’s acrobatic martial art with roots dating back to the country’s struggle for independence, and it is showing at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for the first time since 2013. Proponents are trained to use not only their hands and legs to grapple a rival to the ground, but also fend off assailants armed with blades. Short for “Vo Viet Nam” (literally “Vietnamese martial arts”) it was inspired by nationalists who sought an end to the
RSS