"Winning is important and this particular England side want to win, they play to win, but the risks they run playing in the manner they do are worth the times you fail because it is fulfilling the larger vision. They have asked fans if they are entertained. The answer is 'yes'"
Sunday 23 July 2023 18:16, UK
Sky Sports Cricket's Kumar Sangakkara looks at how England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have given Test cricket a much-needed boost and how their success is based on brain as well as brawn…
England have really turned Test cricket on its head and made it so approachable, so attractive. They have forced results from impossible positions.
McCullum came from a white-ball coaching background but wanted the red-ball job as it is a blank sheet for innovation.
It has been beholden to the tradition that is inculcated into us but they have turned it on its head and said, 'there is a different way to play this game'. That has made it completely palatable to a larger audience.
There is also a larger vision of entertainment in Test cricket for this England side and how they make it approachable to the newer generation, the younger generation that have done cricket in reverse - got into the franchise formats, fallen in love with the game and then looked around to see what else is out there.
The attention span for traditional Test cricket, with the layers of complexity to it, is not their cup of tea but the way this England team play is.
England are arranging their chess pieces to drive that vision long term to rejuvenate Test cricket and make it the apex format. You will lose along the way doing that so for me this Ashes is just one step along the journey.
Winning is important and this particular England side want to win, they play to win, but the risks they run playing in the manner they do are worth the times you fail because it is fulfilling the larger vision.
Whatever happens in this series or isolated series does not matter. They have made a huge statement. They have asked fans if they are entertained and the answer is 'yes'.
England are very careful with their selections and who they pick.
The beauty of what Stokes and McCullum have done is bridge the gap between Test and T20 cricket and really amalgamated the two, looking for the skills the modern game has improved in players and taken that into Test cricket.
They choose special players who have the potential to play special innings and chase the big moments. But they also choose on personality and whether players really fit.
Will a player take away from the energy by being selfish in terms of their own performance? They don't tolerate that.
With the bowling, the discipline has been incredible, the precision in execution is incredible.
In this Ashes series, both sides have gone with a short-ball plan but England have been miles ahead in execution.
Every time the captain sets the field the bowler knows exactly where to bowl - the length, the line, the control, the variation. It is not a haphazard 'let me try this and see if it works'. It is extremely well planned.
That sometimes gets missed. You look at it and think England are just playing a frenetic, unplanned frenzy, but they are not. It is based on absolute detailed planning.
Australia, a side that have grown up on hard and pacey tracks, have been bounced out continuously. Not just by the express pace of Mark Wood. There is exceptional tactical nous at work.
This is a young side except for a few of the fast bowlers and perhaps Joe Root and Stokes, and as they mature they will make smarter decisions and get better.
That is a scary thought to have. When they adapt to different pitches and situations, this side is going to be phenomenal.
