As England prepares to play New Zealand in a two-match series, men's red-ball coach Brendon McCullum said he is happy to see captain Ben Stokes write his own scripts and achieve pretty special things in Test cricket.
Since McCullum and Stokes took over last year, England has been on a roll, winning nine out of ten matches, including series wins over New Zealand and South Africa at home, as well as a win over India, followed by a clean sweep in Pakistan, ushering in a new era of fearless play in Test cricket.
"I'm not sure what's possible for this side with the skipper in charge because he's a guy who writes his own scripts and accomplishes some pretty amazing things. I know his plans for this team are ambitious, and he'll do everything he can to bring the boys along for the ride "Sky Sports quoted McCullum as saying this to reporters in Hamilton.
When asked about his time as England coach, former New Zealand captain McCullum said, "It's been a promising start. The results have been excellent, but it's not all about the numbers. I know we're judged on them, but that's not really my focus, nor is it the skipper's."
"We just want the guys to play a style of cricket that gives them the greatest opportunity to allow their talent to come out and have a good time doing it. This year has been quite amazing."
"We know there are some big challenges in front of us as well but whatever happens we've achieved some pretty cool stuff over the last little while and if we can take forward the lessons we have learned from the past 10 or 11 months it will give us an opportunity to do something pretty special in the next little while."
The two-match series against New Zealand will be McCullum's first time at home, but he will be in the opposition camp plotting the demise of the hosts, led by Tim Southee. McCullum has promised that England's belligerent style of playing Test cricket will entertain New Zealand fans.
"They'll be entertained regardless of whether New Zealand or we win. People are patriotic and want their own team to win, but that is one of the reasons we are in this job - to make Test cricket entertaining and to ensure that people have a positive experience with the game."
"Even if your team does not win, you can still leave feeling like you had a fantastic day. That, hopefully, will be the case throughout the series."
England will play New Zealand in a day-night Test at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from February 16 to 20, followed by a second Test in Wellington from February 24-28.