IND vs ENG: Graeme Swann Explains The Impact Of Ben Stokes And Brendon Mccullum On England Cricket

Former England spinner Graeme Swann has talked about the changes in England cricket after Ben Stokes became the Test captain and Brendon McCullum became the Test head coach.

In the new era, under Stokes and McCullum, England managed to register a dominant win over World Test Champions New Zealand at home. Notably, England won all three games of the Test series by dominantly chasing the target.

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England will next lock horns with India in the 5th and last Test match of the series, which was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. The one-off Test will be played at the Edgbaston, Birmingham from Friday, July 1.

In an interview, the former England spinner was asked about the impact of Stokes and McCullum on England cricket and the difference between the current England team and the team that played against India in the fourth Test last year.

“It is almost entirely in the head, players like Ollie Pope will be unrecognisable from the Pope that played last against India. He has just scored two hundreds, is very aggressive, very confident. Joe Root with the burden of captaincy gone is batting gorgeously,” Graeme Swann was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

It is the mindset: before it was very negative, defence-oriented – Graeme Swann

Swann further said that the mindset of the England Test team has changed drastically and it is no more negative and defence-oriented. He also mentioned that previously the England Test team used to pick the “wrong team all the time”.

“It is the mindset: before it was very negative, defence-oriented. They were picking the wrong team all the time, the Ahmedabad Test (March 2021) when they went with one spinner on the craziest turning pitch I had seen. 

“I was licking my lips (that) we could at least have five spinners playing this game, over the two teams. England went in with four seamers because it seamed around in the nets. This England is more clued in to try and win Test matches, rather than see what happens,” he said.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: I Would Give The Captaincy To Virat Kohli: Moeen Ali Backs Virat Kohli to Don Test Cap For One Last Time vs England

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