“I’m really excited about the prospect of working with him”: Jonny Bairstow shares his excitement about working with Brendon McCullum ahead of ENG vs NZ 1st test

Jonny Bairstow is set to get his chances in England’s test team and he is excited to play under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

England will take on New Zealand in the first match of the 3-match test series at the Lord’s in London from 2 June 2022. This is will be the first match for England under their new test captain and coach.

Brendon McCullum is the new head coach of the side, whereas Ben Stokes is the new captain. The English team has just won one of their last 17 tests, and they are looking for an overhaul from this series. According to Sky Sports, the playing eleven of the team is also almost fixed for the first test.

Jonny Bairstow is set to take his place at the number spot in the first test against New Zealand. James Anderson and Stuart Broad are also set to play together looking at the conditions, and Jack Leach will be the lone spinner of the side in the match.

Jonny Bairstow excited about playing under Brendon McCullum

English batter Jonny Bairstow has shared his excitement about playing under new head coach Brendon McCullum. He said that he always wanted to play under Baz and was intrigued by the way Brendon used to play his cricket.

“He [McCullum] is someone I have always wanted to work with. Playing against him and growing up watching him, he was someone I was very intrigued by and I looked up to in many ways – the way he went about his cricket,” Bairstow told Sky Sports.

“I’m really excited about the prospect of working with him for hopefully a long period of time.”

🗣 “It’s about taking wickets, it’s about going out and winning key periods of the game”

Brendon McCullum hasn’t had much time to stamp his mark on the team before the First Test, but Jonny Bairstow says ‘there’s a lot of positivity’ in the group 👇 pic.twitter.com/Q2dWY847l5

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) May 30, 2022

Jonny Bairstow said that there is a lot of positivity amongst the English group, and under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, they can certainly do well in the upcoming series.

“We know what Stokesy brings as well, the leadership qualities that he has had on the field for a long, long time,” Bairstow said.

“There is a lot of positivity around the group.”

This is Brendon McCullum’s first assignment as an international coach. He recently left the coaching of IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders.