As a sideline to the day job as England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum owns and breeds racehorses in his native New Zealand. And when a “big chestnut with a pale face and dodgy legs” emerged from the stable a while back, it apparently rang too many bells not to name it after his partner in crime, Ben Stokes.
“That horse has got a big heart, too, so I thought it was perfect,” said McCullum, before England swapped their training base in Queenstown for sunny Christchurch. The pair even went to watch the captain’s namesake, Stokes, claim a creditable third-place finish at nearby Riccarton Park racecourse before this tour of New Zealand officially got underway, despite some concerns about its readiness.
There is no third place in a Test series, of course. And with some of the previous momentum under McCullum stalled by a year of seven wins and seven defeats thus far, England could do with quelling some increasing unrest among a section of their supporters who find their methods and selections maddening. The head coach accepts they will be judged on results and stressed they are “fiercely competitive”, even if his mantra remains that a focus on outcomes affects clarity of thought.