‘Brave when we needed to be’: McCullum hails England for leaving Ashes baggage behind

• Coach impressed by response in win over New Zealand

• McCullum admits pitch ‘incredibly challenging’ for batters

Brendon McCullum has praised his players’ refusal to be haunted by their nightmare winter after England won their first Test since the Ashes against New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday, admitting that “the temperature has been a bit hot” around his side since their failure in Australia, but hailing their bravery and refusal to “carry any baggage”.

McCullum insisted his team had kept the Bazball spirit burning, despite the low scores and strike rates seen on an “incredibly challenging” surface. “I thought we were brave when we needed to be,” he said. “Bravery for me is not necessarily about running down the wicket and trying to slog every ball.”