"Winning mentality and looking to entertain the crowd has been the hallmark of the Stokes-McCullum partnership" - Jason Gillespie
Former Australian speedster Jason Gillespie has hailed England's mentality of not going for draws and pining only for Test match wins. Gillespie observed that entertaining the crowd has been one of the hallmarks of the coach-captain pair of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Since taking over as the coach and captain, McCullum and Stokes have urged England to play aggressively. Their efforts have led England to 11 victories in their last 13 Tests, including 3-0 series whitewash during Pakistan tour.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 48-year-old conceded that he likes England's thinking, but said it would be interesting to see if Stokes' approach changes when everything is at stake.
"It’s easy for Ben to say that now — but when we get to the nitty gritty and in that moment, only he know if he will really do that. Don’t get me wrong, I like the thinking. That’s a winning mentality and looking to entertain the crowd has been the hallmark of the Stokes-McCullum partnership. It pains me to say it about England but it’s great viewing and an attitude they have never remotely had in the past. It looks a hell of a lot of fun and it will rub off on the next generation."
Gillespie also earmarked Travis Head to be the trump card for Australia and that flat surfaces could backfire on England. As far as England goes, he reckons Ben Duckett and Jonny Bairstow are pivotal to their chances.
"I’m biased as his coach at South Australia but I’m a huge fan of Travis Head. He has experience of English conditions, he’s in good nick, as we saw at the Oval, and is playing in his typical aggressive way. If England really want batting-friendly surfaces, that could play into his and Australia’s hands. For England, I’ll be fascinated to see how Jonny Bairstow goes. He’s been preferred to Ben Foakes with the gloves and before he was injured was in as good form with the bat as ever in Test cricket. Ben Duckett has come on in leaps and bounds, too."
Duckett returned to the national side last summer and has been highly consistent at the top of the order. In three matches last year, he amassed 357 runs at 71.40 and has accumulated 333 runs in the same number of games so far in 2023.
"They’re in great shape" - Jason Gillespie on Australia
Gillespie went on to back Australia to win the series 3-1, adding:
"I'm going for Australia to win 3-1. I also think there will be one draw, with a bit of weather around or just a hard-fought match, but I’m backing the Aussies to win! They’re in great shape."
Australia last won a series in England back in 2001 under Steve Waugh.