ANI page |
Updated: July 30, 2024 7:10 PM IST

London (UK), July 30 (ANI): England Test head coach Brendon McCullum praised new signings pacer Gus Atkinson, wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith and spinner Shoaib Bashir for their impressive performances in the series-winning game against the West Indians.

The Test series against the West Indies marked a transitional period for England as they introduced new talent into their red-ball team. The opening Test at Lord’s was particularly significant as James Anderson retired from international cricket after a distinguished career spanning more than two decades.
However, England appear to have found a worthy successor in Gus Atkinson, who proved to be the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets and took home the ICC Player of the Series award.
England also decided to move on from Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow in the wicketkeeping role, placing their trust in 24-year-old Jamie Smith for the series. The Surrey player produced impressive performances, scoring 70 and 95 while batting at number seven and also causing 14 dismissals behind the stumps.
Shoaib Bashir, who made his debut against India earlier this year, cemented his position as England’s premier spinner with a decisive five-wicket haul in the second Test match against West Indies.
McCullum praised the new arrivals in the team, praising their great performances that led to a 3-0 home win.
“Coming into the series we knew we had to make some improvements to continue to improve as a team,” McCullum said after the series, as quoted by ICC.

“We’ve brought in some new faces and some guys who have shown that they feel right at home at international level. But until you give those people a chance, you don’t know for sure, right?”
“What we’ve seen from Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir and Jamie Smith – these guys have shown that they belong in international cricket and they’ve performed accordingly. It’s really satisfying from that point of view, but also the growth of the side in general.”
“I mean, there’s never any change, right?” McCullum said, acknowledging the conversations they’ve had with the players left out of the squad. “Keep in mind, the guys that have been there before have done really well for us. It’s certainly no disrespect to them, but we felt we needed to bring in some new guys, guys with skills that would complement the rest of the guys in our lineup,” he added.
Although James Anderson retired from international cricket during the series, he remained with the team throughout the series as a fast bowling mentor.
Although no decision has yet been made about Anderson’s future as manager, McCullum was pleased to have the England veteran on hand to guide the pacy attack.
“Sometimes when you’re a player, you don’t always give your all to everybody because you’re worried about your own performance,” McCullum added. “But the information that he’s (Anderson) been able to impart and the way he’s fit seamlessly into our coaching group, we’re so fortunate to be able to call on that resource and the person that he is.”
“It’s never easy but Jimmy seems very happy now. It’s great to have him around and I feel very lucky to have him as part of our group,” he added.
England’s 3-0 victory lifted them from bottom of the Test Match World Championship to sixth, with a points percentage of 36.54 per cent.
As the crucial end of the WTC25 cycle approaches, England face a busy Test schedule, with upcoming series against Sri Lanka (home), Pakistan (away) and New Zealand (away) scheduled this year. (ANI)