We’ve ticked a few boxes – Brendon McCullum impressed by Harry Brook’s captaincy

Brendon McCullum believes England’s white-ball fortunes are back on track under Harry Brook’s leadership, with glimmers of Ben Stokes in his new captain.

McCullum and Stokes forged an instant bond when they took charge of England’s Test team three years ago, lifting a side that had lost direction and giving it new purpose.

Now the head coach is overseeing another rebuild in limited-overs cricket, working with Brook to restore England’s reputation after a drab conclusion to Jos Buttler’s reign.

England kicked off the ‘Bazball’ era with a series of thrilling Test victories in the summer of 2022 and have started strongly again, whitewashing the West Indies 3-0 in both ODI and T20 formats to begin this chapter in style.

And while McCullum does not view the happy-go-lucky Brook as a straight swap for the imposing personality of Stokes, he feels the pair share important traits.

“They’re two good leaders and two very different personalities,” he said.

“There’s a lot of similarities and a couple of different characteristics in those two. One is probably a little bit more prickly and the other probably keeps things relatively simple, but they both believe in getting around their team-mates, trying to empower them and give them great confidence.

“I think both of them have very creative minds as well, in terms of tactics, and they’re prepared to have a bit of a punt at times. They’re both fiercely competitive to win and to ensure that this team reaches the level they want it to, but they also have a good perspective on where they’re at in life.

“Harry has taken to captaincy extremely well and looks like he’s got a pretty simple style he wants to run the team with. All in all, I think we’ve ticked a few boxes.”

Just as Stokes relied on his own predecessor, Joe Root, as a cornerstone of his captaincy, Brook has been able to do the same with Buttler.

The latter turned in a player-of-the-series showing in the T20s against the West Indies, scoring 165 runs at a strike-rate of 157, and has been first in line to support the new man.

“It’s great for Brookie, having Jos step back into the ranks,” McCullum said.

“He’s really investing in things. I think for a new captain to have that buy-in from the previous captain is imperative to ensure your message gets across to the group. It’s not different to Joe with Stokesy. You’ve got to thank Jos for that.”

McCullum’s mind will quickly shift to red-ball matters again, with a massive five-match Test series against India starting at Headingley on June 20.

A difficult selection poser has been hanging over his head for a matter of weeks now, with Jacob Bethell pushing Ollie Pope hard for the number three spot.

Pope’s knock of 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month could well have insulated him for now, but Bethell confirmed his rising star status with some electric cameos against the Windies.

He hit 184 runs off 130 balls across both series, smashing 13 sixes, and also picked up six wickets with his left-arm spin. His time is surely coming.

“He’s a serious talent at 21 years of age,” McCullum said. “It’s all in front of him. He’s got a good life coming up, I reckon.

“I think we’ll deal with that (selection) in the next few days. You welcome those decisions. You’ve got guys who are banging the door down and that’s what you want. But let’s see this one sink in, then we’ll enjoy the next few days and start to plot and plan our way towards that first Test match.”