“He’s a freak of a player, writes his own scripts” - Brendon McCullum applauds Ben Stokes for spectacular knock

England Test coach Brendon McCullum described team captain Ben Stokes as a freak of a batter and someone who writes his own scripts after the latter scored a superb century on Day 5 of the Lord’s Test against Australia on Sunday.

Set to chase 371, England went down by 43 runs. However, Stokes once again proved his ability under pressure, slamming 155 off 214 balls to give the Aussies a real scare. The left-handed batter clubbed nine sixes and nine fours before being dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, attempting another big hit.

Australia eased to victory after Stokes’ exit as England were bowled out for 327. Despite the loss, the home captain won a lot of plaudits for his fighting effort.

Praising the all-rounder during a post-match discussion, McCullum told Sky Sports:

“He’s a freak of a player, makes special things happen and he writes his own scripts. But I look more at him as our captain and our leader. The conviction that he has for the direction that this team wants to go in and the faith that he has amongst his players, his ability to get the best out of them and the way he carries himself, his morals, we are so lucky to have Ben Stokes as captain."

The 41-year-old added:

“He will get the best out of a lot of these guys. That’s why we head into that third Test match still believing we are in with a chance to win the series, because of his leadership.”

England resumed Day 5 at Lord’s on 114/4. Ben Duckett, who was unbeaten on 50 overnight, scored a defiant 83. But once he was dismissed, Stokes was left with a bit too much to do.

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“We have got a side whose morale is very high” - Brendon McCullum

Despite being 0-2 down in the series, McCullum asserted that the morale in the team is high, adding that they still have the belief that they can win the series.

Looking ahead to the remaining Ashes 2023 Tests, he commented:

“Obviously, it’s disappointing to come out on the wrong side of it, but we firmly believe that we have got a side that is capable of bouncing back. We have got a side whose morale is very high. If we can smooth out some of the rough edges, we’ll give ourselves a chance in the last three [Tests].

According to the former New Zealand captain, England are not far away from their best and just need to adapt better to conditions.

McCullum stated:

“I don’t think we are far away to be honest. We’ve got to maybe adapt to the conditions we are going to get at Headingley slightly quicker than maybe we have done in the last two Tests. Hopefully, our skill and commitment to the side will take us a long way.”

The third Test of Ashes 2023 begins at Headingley, Leeds on Thursday, July 6.