"They won’t die wondering" - Tim Southee on England's new Test coach Brendon McCullum
England's Test team is set to undergo a transition phase under new skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. The side are scheduled to lock horns with New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home, which will begin on Thursday, June 2.
Ahead of the Test series opener, New Zealand pacer Tim Southee suggested that England could turn things around in the longer format under the guidance of Brendon McCullum. Speaking to reporters, he stated that McCullum is a great man-manager and backed him to succeed in his new role.
The veteran Kiwi seamer pointed out that McCullum played a fearless brand of cricket in his career and expects him to adopt a similar approach in his coaching stint. Tim Southee said:
"He’s a great man-manager and he loves to try to get the best out of people. I’m sure he’ll be doing that here as well. The way he played his cricket was exciting, fearless, and that’s the way he is a person and I’m sure that’s the way he is as a coach as well. It will be an exciting brand of cricket, I’m sure. They (England) won’t die wondering I’d imagine if the way he goes about things is anything to go by."
It is worth mentioning that Tim Southee has shared the dressing room with Brendon McCullum for several years. He was also a part of the McCullum-coached Kolkata Knight Riders team in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
"It's just about making the most of what we've got" - Tim Southee on New Zealand's talent pool
Tim Southee added that as New Zealand is a small country, they have a smaller pool of players to choose from. However, he stated that because of this, it is important to make the most of the resources that are available to them.
Southee explained:
"We're obviously challenged with just being a small country, the lack of people playing and lack of resources. Just the Kiwi way is to muck in and get the best out of what we've got. That's not going to change, we're not all of a sudden going to have a lot of pool to choose from."
"I think it's just about making the most of what we've got. Sometimes less is more as well. And I think it's in our DNA to try, not only the cricket side, as Kiwis, is to just enjoy it and make the most of what we've got."
Tīma 🇳🇿
The full squad has assembled in London ahead of Thursday’s first Test against @englandcricket at the @homeofcricket 🏏 https://t.co/yGb1YFmSnk
England and New Zealand will battle it out in the first Test of the series from June 2. The contest is set to be played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium in London. The Test is of utmost importance for the hosts as they look to bounce back after their recent underwhelming outings in the purest format.