Brendon McCullum rates England hot favourites to win Ashes – Cricket News
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 this year.
McCullum’s comments have come after the Three http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 and Men completed the 2-nil Test victory with a comprehensive 247-run win in the second
Test at Headingley, Leeds on Tuesday.
The Headingley Test was England’s last five-day encounter ahead of the latest episode of the historic Ashes rivalry, commencing Nottingham's Trent Bridge ground on July 10, 2013. The New Zealand batsmen struggled
against the swinging Duke Ball in the two-match Test series and McCullum believes the Australian batsmen will also struggle against the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JM-Anderson-c1705 and Graeme Swann.
"England are red hot favourites at home, their ability to swing the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Duke-c54717 ball is huge. Any team that plays at home is familiar with the surroundings," said the visiting skipper while speaking to media reporters
after the 247-run defeat at the hands of the Poms in Leeds, on Tuesday.
Earlier, the visitors lost the opening Test by 170 runs at Lord’s. McCullum, the 31-year-old http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Otago-c829 born wicketkeeper batsman, reckoned the fourth day of the first Test, which saw the whole New Zealand
batting line up collapsing for just 68 runs, was the defining moment of their Test campaign against the Poms. Nottingham paceman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 was England’s wrecker in chief in that match, returning with career-best figures of 7 for 44.
"Right up until that point our self-belief was very high and that ripped our hearts out and just started to create some self-doubt among us which is a horrible thing in this game," McCullum said.
After struggling against the English seamers at Lord’s, the Black Caps experienced fresh batting woes at Headingley, where they failed to counter http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501’s off-spin, with the Northampton spinner claiming
a 10-wicket haul.
New Zealand will next play in the eight-team Champions Trophy, commencing at Cardiff on June 6, before returning home. McCullum hoped his players will make a strong come back in the esteemed one-day tournament.
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