England Test team coach Brendon McCullum has hailed the impact of captain Ben Stokes after they clinched the three-match Test series 2-1 on Monday at the Oval. Stokes who is yet to lose a Test series as the captain has rejuvenated the fortunes of his team as they have beaten New Zealand, India and South Africa, having lost the Ashes 4-0 at the start of the year.
"It's been an absolute pleasure to work alongside them, and I've particularly enjoyed working alongside the skipper [Stokes]. He's a rare human being and an incredible person," McCullum told Sky Sports after victory on Monday.
England win Oval Test
"He's a great thinker of the game, his messaging has been excellent as well. I thought he'd be good, I didn't realise he'd be this good. A natural leader. It's a wonderful fit for him.
"New Zealand were the world Test champions, India were red-hot when we came up against them, and South Africa were top of the world Test Championship as well, so we knew the size of the challenge.
England finish off SA early morning
England beat South Africa by nine wickets in the third Test to secure a 2-1 series win against South Africa. Ben Stokes' side needed just 25 minutes to knock off the 33 runs needed on day five at the Kia Oval and make it six wins in seven under the new captain and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Starting the day on 97-0, only 33 runs shy of their target, Alex Lees and Zak Crawley brought up their century stand from the second ball of the day.
Like Stokes, McCullum has enjoyed his recent journey as a coach. The former New Zealand captain was in charge of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before he took over the reins of the English side and hs of ar worked wonders.
