Inside England cricket coach Brendon McCullum’s passion for race horse breeding with one named after Ben Stokes

BRENDON McCULLUM took 1 look astatine the beast and knew instantly what it should beryllium called.

He picked up the telephone to Ben Stokes and told him: “I’ve got this large chestnut, large beardown happening with a airy look and dodgy legs. Any accidental I could sanction him aft you?”

As good arsenic being England’s caput coach, McCullum is simply a race horse owner, breeder and punter.

Stokes agreed and helium and McCullum were astatine the Riccarton Park way successful Christchurch earlier this period to ticker his equine namesake decorativeness 3rd successful a race.

McCullum added: “The equine has a large heart, too, truthful it was the cleanable name!”

Now the much superior worldly is astir to commencement with Stokes starring England successful a three-Test bid successful New Zealand, starting astatine 10pm UK clip connected Wednesday.

Stokes volition request to amusement his legendary “big heart” because, aft missing 4 Tests successful a enactment with a torn hamstring, his instrumentality coincided with the 2 defeats successful the 2-1 bid nonaccomplishment successful Pakistan.

Stokes managed conscionable 53 runs successful 4 innings, didn’t instrumentality a wicket and adjacent captained astatine times beneath his mean inventive and inspirational best.

Back successful England, his household suffered the harrowing acquisition of a burglary portion they were successful the house. Stokes did not notation the incidental to astir of the players.

McCullum added: “The enactment Ben has enactment successful precocious and portion we were successful Pakistan volition travel bully successful the adjacent small while.

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“I wouldn’t accidental Pakistan rocked our assurance arsenic specified but it decidedly hurt. When I speech to the lads, I accidental you request a representation similar a sieve arsenic a cricketer.

“You request what’s gone earlier to lavation implicit you and absorption connected the present and now, to marque definite you’re wholly present. That gives you the champion opportunity.”

Stokes and McCullum already person a occupation successful New Zealand with Jordan Cox, slated to support wicket successful the lack of expectant dada Jamie Smith, ruled retired the circuit with a breached thumb.

It means Ollie Pope volition astir surely person to bash the occupation for lone the 4th clip successful his Test vocation due to the fact that apt replacement Ollie Robinson (the Durham stumper, not the Sussex seamer) is not expected to get successful clip to beryllium ready.

Pope scored 55 runs successful 5 innings successful Pakistan was arsenic frenetic arsenic ever astatine the commencement of his innings. Pope makes the occasional eye-catching period but does small successful between.

But England are readying to instrumentality with him done to adjacent winter’s Ashes circuit unless idiosyncratic similar Jacob Bethell, poised for his Test debut tomorrow, makes a compelling case.

McCullum explained: “Not galore English players person churned retired agelong careers astatine No.3 and been successful.

“It’s been a large twelvemonth for Popey. He took connected the captaincy erstwhile Stokesy was injured and that makes you grow, whether instantly oregon successful time. We deliberation that acquisition volition marque him better. He’s inactive a immense subordinate for us.

“Even Ricky Ponting was susceptible successful his archetypal 20 oregon 30 balls but, erstwhile helium got going, he’d ascent into you. I’m not saying Ollie Pope is Ricky Ponting but it’s not an casual spot to bat due to the fact that the shot is doing more.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Anderson’s imagination of playing successful the Indian Premier League astatine the property of 42 ended erstwhile helium attracted nary involvement from immoderate of the 10 franchises astatine the mega auction.