Ben Stokes has received high praise from England men's red-ball coach Brendon McCullum, who described him as "a rare, amazing person" and a "brilliant thinker of the game." Additionally, he acknowledged being taken aback by how important and effective Stokes has been as England's Test captain.
With the help of Stokes, England recently defeated South Africa 2-1, winning the third Test at The Oval by a margin of nine wickets. Additionally, it ensured that England closed their domestic summer on a high, with their spectacular Test cricket comeback under Stokes and McCullum's leadership serving as the highlight.
England has won six out of seven games this year after losing just one Test in their previous 17. This included a 3-0 rout of the World Test champions New Zealand, a record-breaking chase of 378 to defeat India by seven wickets, and a comeback victory over the Proteas to win the match 2-1.
After the third Test concluded, McCullum spoke to Sky Sports and said of Stokes, "It's been an absolute pleasure to work alongside them (England players), and I've particularly enjoyed working with him (Stokes). He's a rare human being and an incredible person. He's a great thinker of the game, his messaging has been excellent. I thought he'd be good, I didn't realise he'd be this good. A natural leader.
McCullum, who took over as red-ball coach in April, said that he was astounded by the England Test team's skill and that he is now enjoying his job. "Well, I didn't really want the job in England, but now that I have it, I absolutely adore it, and it's very different from anything I've ever done before.
The chance to collaborate with some of the top players in the world is fantastic. I've always thought there is a tremendous lot of skill in English cricket. I didn't completely realise how talented these guys are, how skilled they are, or how they approach the game.
McCullum elaborated on how the team wanted to play their brand of cricket instead of focusing about the outcome as he reflected on an outstanding Test summer at home for England. "I know we're judged by the results, but we virtually wanted to take them out of play and play the brand of cricket that is real to (Ben) Stokesy's leadership and the lads in the team, and I felt we accomplished that effectively."
When you get a chance like this and the responsibility of being in these leadership positions, you look at where Test cricket is around the world and how important it is to all of those who have played the game before, as well as the relevance of it in international cricket. "We're well aware you're going to be judged by results, but for us it was a little bit bigger than that."
The main objective, which would remain the same going ahead, was to "bring a bit of enjoyment back, try and draw the fans in to make sure they're enjoying Test cricket, and perhaps provide a bit more relevance to a game which has probably been under a little bit of strain of late."