New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum feels England have enough firepower to challenge them in the five-match ODI series. The Black Caps take on hosts England in the 1st ODI that will be playe at Edgbaston today.
After a dismal show at the ICC World Cup 2015, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to rest some of the key players ahead of the five-match ODI series against the Kiwis. As a result, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ian bell and Moeen Ali felt the axe.
ECB have gone with youth and power for this series against an upbeat New Zealand. They have selected few young players who had had a good county season. England skipper Eoin Morgan feels that if these players have done well in the domestic circuit, they should now deliver for their country to help England clinch the series.
McCullum is well aware of it.
"I like the look of the squad, I think it's an exciting squad they've picked. It's obviously a little bit raw but it's full of talented players who are pretty aggressive with bat and ball. England have got some really dangerous players and judging by the comments coming out of their camp they're looking forward to branching out a little bit," said McCullum in an interview to the Sky Sports ahead of the first ODI against England.
The Black Caps are the overwhelming favourites in this ODI series. The way they made their way to the ICC World Cup final was impressive. Their aggressive brand of cricket has helped them scale new heights in this shorter format of the game, especially due to skipper McCullum, who is a naturally attacking cricketer.
"The way we went about it throughout the World Cup gives us a good chance and, hopefully, on the back of a pretty good test series we'll play a similar style and can continue to build on that," McCullum added.
