'It’s a lesson for everyone' - Sam Billings hails Brendon McCullum's impact on England Test team

The England Test team led by Ben Stokes are redefining red-ball cricket one game at a time as their aggressive intent against Pakistan in the first Test in Rawalpindi has stunned the entire cricketing community. English wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings credits head coach Brendon McCullum for changing the mindset of the players in the Test squad.

Brendon McCullum's England turned heads following their scathing assault on the Pakistani bowlers in the first innings of the Rawalpindi Test that saw his batters score at a terrifying pace. Four of the five English top-order batters scored a century, including Zak Crawley's fastest ton by an English opener in Test cricket.

Sam Billings, who is renowned for his exploits in the shorter format of the game, praised the Kiwi for galvanizing the Test squad. He reckoned it was just a change of mindset that has displayed tremendous results in the longest format of the game.

“It is amazing. I think it’s a lesson for everyone really. It is the change of mindset, you have the same players, literally have the same players. You change the mindset and obviously the coach and captain, but you change the mindset of the group, and you also get everyone moving in the same direction collectively. It shows how powerful it can be," Billings told foxsports.com.au.

Ultimately it is about entertainment: Sam Billings

Billings, who is thought to be a backup to Ben Foakes in the England Test team, expressed his excitement on the approach of the English batters on a docile Rawalpindi pitch. The batting ace feels that winning matches will always be the priority of the team but winning while playing entertaining cricket is where the emphasis lies for the current red-ball side under McCullum.

“Incredibly exciting, the test is always going to be away from home in different conditions, and look, Rawalpindi was a very flat pitch, but what an advert for Test cricket. Ultimately it is about entertainment, it is about winning games of cricket but also doing it in a way that comes naturally, firstly to the players, but also in a way that brings people back,” Billings added.