Head coach Brendon McCullum lavished praise on England skipper Ben Stokes after the team's 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in the Test series. The former New Zealand batter said the team has performed incredibly well to win the series in Pakistan.
Pakistan registered their first ever 3-0 loss in a three-test series on home soil. England started the day needing a further 55 runs for win and reached 170/2 within 38 minutes to secure their second successive win.
"Ben has had a transformative influence in the year gone by and his work on and off the field is fantastic," McCullum said.
"There's maverick in it and genius in a lot of it," he added.
"He's just got an insatiable appetite to keep moving the game forward, which is super-impressive.
But for me, it's the man management, it's the consistency of message, it's the pure passion and drive that he's got to make a significant difference in Test cricket, and English cricket, which is most impressive.
"So I feel incredibly lucky that I've taken over this job when Stokesy has got the reins, and I think he's only going to get better and better and better, which is quite scary.
"Because if he continues to improve and drive this team forward then, with the talent that sits within the dressing room, they will give it a good shake anyway."
Playing down his role in England's transformation, McCullum said Stokes has been magnificent in the series and praised the skipper's ability to get the best out of each team member.
"I think this side is shaping out to be very much in the image of the captain. It is his mantra," McCullum said. He wants to do something significant and leave a legacy and impact on Test cricket and he is getting there," he added.
"I just make sure that the guys remain consistent with their own beliefs, and that they all want to be the best version of themselves. To be honest, it's a really easy job … don't tell my bosses. But I'm really enjoying myself, and I couldn't I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to be honest."
Stokes at his post-match conference on Tuesday, said he was very pleased with the outcome of the series.
"It will sink in once we go home for Christmas and New Year. To win three nil out here is something to look back on with pride."
Pakistan captain Babar Azam insisted that the Test team was in a rebuilding phase.
"We will look back at this series and try not to repeat the same mistakes again. There were positives in this series for us and we must learn from them," Babar said.
(Inputs from PTI)
