It was an accomplished first outing for Brendon McCullum, the new England Test head coach. Decked out in an official training top, skinny trousers and white trainers (no socks, naturally), a little bleary-eyed after the 12,000-mile journey from Dunedin, the former New Zealand captain rocked up at sunny Lord’s on Friday morning looking as relaxed as the team environment he intends to create.
Over the course of an hour speaking to various outlets – including a couple of European correspondents from back home – the 40-year-old espoused the philosophy which attracted Rob Key, director of men’s cricket, to hire a head coach with only white-ball experience on his CV: to be consistent in messaging, to keep things simple, to help players realise their potential and be role models, to cut out external noise, to be unafraid to take a risk if the upside demands it, to whip away the fear of failure he believes is inherent in the English game.
