Brendon McCullum has challenged England to test the limits of their new attacking approach by taking it “too far”, and hopes county cricketers look to emulate how the Test batters have performed in their 3-0 series win over New Zealand.
England ticked off three run-chases out of three in McCullum’s first series as head coach of the Test side, sealing an emphatic seven-wicket victory at Headingley. Just as at Trent Bridge in the second Test, when 299 was chased comfortably in 50 overs, victory came in a flurry on the final day, sealed by Joe Root (86 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (71 not out) in a 111-run stand spanning 14.3 overs that ultimately saw off a target of 296 in less than two sessions.
This was only England’s second series win since the start of 2021. But the manner of it spoke of much more than simply a team overcoming a dire run of form. With the 277 achieved at Lord’s, England have three new entries in the top 12 of their all-time chases list, this one at Headingley coming…