New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum was elated as his side thrashed England at Headingley to level the two match series 1-1. McCullum said that he was “proud” of the team and the fighting spirit displayed. New Zealand dismissed England for just 255, to win the second test match by 199 runs. Trent Boult was named the Man of the Series for his sensational bowling performances.
An ecstatic McCullum was quoted saying, “I’m really proud of this win, sometimes it’s not easy when you lose the first Test match when you think you’ve played all right, to have that resolve to bounce back and stay true to your game,” McCullum said. “That’s what we did and we were able to beat what we think is a very, very good England team in their own conditions.”
McCullum also spoke about the way his side fought back in the first innings after they were 2-2 on the first day. “We were behind in the game but the beauty of batting first is that you have the ability to play from in front. We had to try to hang in and we knew if we were able to get ourselves back to parity then we would be bowling last would be quite handy.”
“England are a very good team and to beat them in their conditions is no easy feat, credit to Alastair and his team – I thought the series was played in tremendous spirit, 1-1 is a fair result and it is just a shame we haven’t got another one or two,” said McCullum.
The Kiwi skipper also spoke about the crucial wickets taken by part timer Kane Williamson. “There’s instinct and then there’s pure gambling,” he said. “Kane has a bit of knack, if he’s had a quiet Test we can be pretty sure he’ll get involved somehow. He played such a crucial role, 3 for 15 on the last day of a Test as a part-time spinner, he allowed the other guys to settle into their work.”