'He was going to send Stuart Broad to have a slog' - Ben Stokes opens up about Brendon McCullum's strategy

After winning the first Test by a margin of five wickets, England skipper Ben Stokes has revealed that the new head coach Brendon McCullum wanted to promote senior pacer Stuart Broad to the number eight position if the home side had England lost a wicket during the twilight of Day 3.

Primarily known for his brilliance with the ball, Broad has shown some skills with the bat as he has stroked one century and 13 fifties in the longest format of the game. However, the southpaw is going through a lean patch with the bat since the start of 2021. Broad has only scored 86 runs in the past 17 innings at a poor average of 7.81 with his highest being 15 runs.

However, the new coach of England would have overlooked Broad’s recent form and pushed him up to the number eight position if the former England skipper Joe Root or the wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes had lost their wicket. However, the duo went on to stitch an excellent 100+ run partnership and ensured that England chase down the target easily in the end. Root was adjudged the Player of the Match for his excellent batting knock of unbeaten 115 runs.

Brendon McCullum’s approach will do us the world of good: Ben Stokes

“Last night, when Foakesy went out to bat, he was going to send Broady in if we’d lost a wicket to go and have a slog just to score 30-40 runs, the game’s done. That’s the kind of stuff that we are not used to in the dressing room. Those kinds of things will do us the world of good. Just those tiny little things, the confidence, the energy that he brings about his mindset towards the game,” Stokes said during a post-match press conference.

“If Broady walked out last night, and went off and flayed 20 or 30, pretty sure, you guys [media] would have been like, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ That’s what he’s going to do. He’s just going to make everyone feel 10 foot taller in any situation that we’re in and I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far,” he added.