Shukri's 'warriors' will have a cricket-mad country behind them

IT is not often that the losing captain walks away with the biggest smile after a World Cup final defeat - especially when inflicted by their arch-rivals.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS

But that's what happens when you've captured not just the hearts of a nation, but the entire cricketing globe who have all been transfixed by your chutzpah.

"We've been on an incredible journey," Brendon McCullum said in the centre of the MCG after the 2015 World Cup final.

"We've loved every single minute of it. We've created memories and friendships which will last the rest of our lives."

McCullum, affectionately known as 'Bazz, had bellowed the same mantra throughout the six-week-long competition, creating a frenzy around his team back in New Zealand that was previously only reserved for the team wearing all-black uniforms running around with an oval ball.

Fast forward a decade, and McCullum is now no longer a captain, but the coach of a team he inadvertently shaped in the English summer immediately after the World Cup.

He no longer clutches the Black Fern on his chest, but proudly wears England's Three Lions on his bucket hat. But intrinsically he remains the same individual, and has now called on the oft-fickle English supporters to get on the bus and take a similar ride with him and his team.