ENGLAND will continue their amazingly chilled approach on Saturday by cancelling a cricket match – and going to the races.
Head coach Brendon McCullum is taking his players to watch an eight-year-old gelding called Defibrillate that he co-owns rather than asking them to bother with bats and balls.
Brendon McCullum will take his players to watch his horse on SaturdayGetty
It is all part of McCullum’s masterplan of making the experience of playing Test cricket for England great fun and creating lifelong friendships and memories.
England were originally scheduled to start a second two-day practice match but that was binned because McCullum and captain Ben Stokes reckon players could lose intensity.
Now they will go to the Te Rapa race course, near Hamilton, with a special eye on the Herbie Dyke Stakes in which Defibrillate is expected to start as third favourite. McCullum loves the nags, golf and red wine as much as he loves cricket.
England spent the first five days of their tour playing golf near Queenstown – with McCullum organiser-in-chief. Cricket kit remained strictly in the players’ bags.
Before their 3-0 Test series win in Pakistan in December, the squad enjoyed more golf and a VIP trip to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is becoming a theme.
McCullum also believes that, if playing Test cricket is a lark, players will be more inclined to remain loyal to their country rather than seek riches in T20 franchise tournaments.
He explained: “That’s the thinking. There are so many options these days that you’ve got to make Test cricket enjoyable, not just on the field but off the field, too.
“We want guys to know that, when they board a plane to head overseas or jump in a car to Lord’s, they’re going to have a great time. The results will hopefully follow.
“Test cricket is hard and travelling the world can be difficult. It’s meant to be a fun time in your life and you should be able to enjoy it. Things the guys have done over the past week will hopefully be memories they can take with them for a long time.
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“I always felt when I was playing that everything was based around the cricket and sometimes you forgot to enjoy yourself. We’ll see how it works out but it’s worth a crack.”
McCullum’s outlook has so far brought incredible success with England winning nine out of ten Tests since he linked up with Stokes. And he is planning another fun-filled break before the Ashes this summer.
On the second and final day of their practice match against a New Zealand XI, England bowled out the opposition for 310.
Olly Stone took three wickets while six other bowlers took one apiece.
England hit 17 sixes on their way to 465 all out the previous day.
Stokes did not even play and McCullum added: “Some characters don’t need warm up games. The bigger the competition, the more they step up. Stokes has never been a warm-up game kind of guy.”
Stuart Broad, who missed the win in Pakistan because of paternity leave, is expected to reclaim his place in the First Test against the Blackcaps next Thursday.