I want Ben Stokes to be the most authentic person that he can be: Brendon McCullum

Earlier this year, former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum was appointed as the head coach of the England Test team.

The former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum is looking forward to his role as the newly-appointed head coach of the England Test team. The Black Caps’ veteran replaced Chris Silverwood, who was severely criticised, especially after the Three Lions’ horrible performance in the Ashes in Australia where they lost 0-4.

McCullum, who recently coached the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said that he wanted to bring in loads of energy into the England Test team.

"My job will be to try to take away some of the pressures initially, bring in some enthusiasm. Naturally, when there's some change, guys kind of get a bit of a lift anyway, so hopefully that will translate to performances early as well," McCullum said to the media at the Lord’s.

"But first I've got to have a look around and see where things sort of sit currently and try and identify some areas where we might need to make some changes at times too, but I'm very much looking forward to the challenge," he stated.

McCullum said that his relationship with Test skipper Ben Stokes is going to play a crucial role over the time period. Earlier this year, Joe Root stepped down as the England Test skipper after the 0-1 defeat against Kraigg Brathwaite’s West Indies.

Thereafter, Stokes replaced him as the captain. McCullum, who captained the Kiwis to the final of the 2015 World Cup, said that he will help Stokes grow as a cricketer and captain.

"I think the captain-coach relationship in cricket is vital. I think there needs to be a really tight bond there. You don't have to be the best of mates, but I think you have to have a real clear sort of vision of where you want the team to go and you both align with that, and then when you have that, then you can try and just fill the gaps.