Shades of Stokes in captaincy of Brook, insists Baz

BRENDON McCullum believes England's white-ball fortunes are back on track under Harry Brook's leadership, with glimmers of Ben Stokes in his new captain.

- By RORY DOLLARD

McCullum and Stokes forged an instant bond when they took charge of England's Test team three years ago, lifting a side that had lost direction and giving it new purpose.

Now the head coach is overseeing another rebuild in limited-overs cricket, working with Brook to restore England’s reputation after a drab conclusion to Jos Buttler's reign.

England kicked off the ‘Bazball’ era with a series of thrilling Test victories in the summer of 2022 and have started strongly again, whitewashing the West Indies 3-0 in both ODI and T20 formats to begin this chapter in style.

And while McCullum does not view the happy-go-lucky Brook as a straight swap for the imposing personality of Stokes, he feels the pair share important traits.

“They're two good leaders and two very different personalities,” he said.