Brendon McCullum backed to get the best out of England's batters

England will be encouraged to think about what might go right rather than what could go wrong at the start of the Brendon McCullum era. As Rob Key, the man who appointed him as the country’s new Test coach, said: ‘Let’s buckle up and enjoy the ride.’

McCullum’s four-year deal is certainly eye-catching and will have liberating effects on a team that has mustered just one victory in 17 matches, according to Simon Doull, who witnessed his fellow New Zealander’s playing career from the commentary box and has latterly been privy to his philosophies as a colleague behind a microphone.

In particular, Doull expects him to inspire a trio of 24-year-old stroke makers who — each with a Test average of 29 — are yet to crack the top level in Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence.

‘With those three guys, I can really see them flourishing under a Brendon McCullum-type coach because their ability is there to see and I wonder at times whether they’ve just been stifled in that England set-up,’ says Doull.

‘I wouldn’t say that they weren’t allowed to play their natural game, just that they were encouraged to play slightly differently at times, and he would never take that away from a person. If you are continuously reckless, he will certainly call you out on that but one of Brendon’s strengths is that he wants you to succeed in your own style.

‘I was in Sri Lanka last year, and the talk around the England coaching staff was of wanting to bat for days, for periods of 100-120 overs. That defeats the object for certain players if that’s all your task is.’

Yes, England are at their lowest ebb for more than a quarter of a century. Not since 1995 has their Test ranking been as modest as 88 points. With mass sackings following a lamentable