‘A match made in heaven’: Ben Foakes hails England’s new Test leadership

Ben Foakes is loving life in England’s new-look Test team and believes Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum are a match made in heaven.

Wins over world champions New Zealand at Lord’s and Trent Bridge have made Test cricket cool again after a nightmare run of defeats left England languishing in the rankings.

And wicketkeeper Foakes believes the approach of England’s refreshed management is proving infectious in the dressing room, with confidence soaring after Bairstow and Stokes’ run chase for the ages in Nottingham.

“It seems like a match made in heaven,” said Foakes, speaking at the Lord’s Taverners National Table Cricket Finals where he saw nearly 70 young people with disabilities from 10 schools across the country represent their schools compete for the title of the National Table Cricket Champion 2022 at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s.

“Brendon’s amazing and as characters, both Ben and him are such strong leaders.

“Brendon gave a team talk at the tea break in that last Test. It was so inspirational. It was like everyone wanted to get out there, like they saw everything that could go right. And then, obviously, you saw the way Jonny (Bairstow) and Ben played. It just seems to be going so smoothly at the moment.

“Obviously, at 2-0 up, there is such a relaxed vibe in there. It’s been amazing so far, but I think that’s helped by his positive attitude. I think him and Ben are just such positive guys, and they never see the negatives or what could go wrong. They’re just always trying to achieve the win.

“So, I think it’s just that shift in mindset going from what could go wrong to everything that could go right. It’s been awesome so far.”

Foakes has been tipped for years as England’s next wicketkeeper but the Surrey star, who