England manager Brendon McCullum revealed the dressing room was made up despite some stiff competition on day five of the second test against New Zealand in Wellington. McCullum revealed that the players were upbeat despite the loss.
England fell short by a run on day five of the second Test at Basin Reserve as they failed to chase 258. The winning moment came in the 75th of the innings when Neil Wagner dismissed James Anderson to help New Zealand level the series.
Speaking to BT Sport after the narrow defeat, McCullum reflected that England got what they wanted despite the result not going as expected.
“Actually, it was pretty quiet. We played very well throughout the Test match and we know what we’re here for. I know we’re judged if we win or lose. But all we want is to play a style of cricket to try and entertain people all over the world. When it got so tense, we left it in God’s hands.”
The former goalkeeper-batsman said it was disappointing to lose but the English players were not upset as they have entertained the fans.
“It wasn’t for us, but the lads are very cool. They all enjoyed it even after we lost, going into the locker room still with smiles on their faces because we’ve achieved a small part of what we wanted, which is to make cricket test is exciting. I’m still disappointed to lose, obviously.”
McCullum acknowledged that it would have been nice to win the Test, but credited New Zealand for clinically defending the goal.
“It would have been nice to win the Test match and the series. Right at the start of the campaign, we want to try to entertain and draw the fans into the game, bringing relevance to Test cricket. I think even on the wrong side today, it certainly would. we did. Thanks to New Zealand as they were epic defending their total, but I certainly thought we did our part. It was a great game to be a part of.”
The one-run defeat also meant that England became the fourth team to lose after applying the continuation. The tourists had taken a 226-run lead after the locals had won 209.
“One of those tests where there was never a turn too far” – Brendon McCullum
When asked about the backwards nature of the Test, McCullum claimed that both sides have done well to be on top of each other on a consistent basis.
“I think this Test match has been right in that regard. If you look at New Zealand’s second innings, we also returned to the game after a sustained partnership. It was one of those Tests where there was never a turn too far.” far.”
The 41-year-old said England can be very proud of what they have achieved in recent months, both at home and away. McCullum added:
“We were doing pretty well at one stage but it took Wagner a good bowling spell to bring them back. It looked like we were way out of the game and we were able to give ourselves a good chance with Foakes and Leach. We didn’t, but I’m very proud of the guys. It was amazing all summer and road tours as well. We’ll come away from the last 8-9 months very proud of what we accomplished and looking forward to our next challenge.”
Kane Williamson received the Man of the Match award for his masterful 132 in the second innings. The 1-1 series deadlock means New Zealand remain unbeaten in the home series since 2017.