No more Mr Nice Guys. When Brendon McCullum spoke, he had a message with a difference. England may have irritated some of their opponents with their words off the pitch, with the sense they were trying to save Test cricket in a flurry of sixes or wanted to chase 600 for the hell of it, but rarely on the field. Until last week.
Victory over India at Lord’s came in a game with a difference. One indication that it wasn’t Bazball as normal came when England chugged along at three runs an over, Ben Stokes grinding out runs on a slow pitch. It was about battling, not battering bowlers into submission.
