England will hope to make a fresh start under their new leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum against the coach's native New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stokes, himself born in New Zealand but brought up in Cumbria, northwest England, has succeeded Joe Root as England's Test skipper after his close friend stood down following a run of poor results.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chris Silverwood's sacking after a 4-0 Ashes series loss in Australia paved the way for McCullum's appointment as England's new Test coach, with the former New Zealand captain's first match in charge pitting him against a side he knows so well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England hope the attacking approach McCullum pioneered while kick-starting a New Zealand revival that culminated in the Black Caps being crowned World Test champions last year, by when he had retired as a player, will rub off on his new team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My job will be to plan as if you'll live forever, but live as if you'll die tomorrow," said McCullum ahead of a three-match series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He would appear to have a kindred spirit alongside him in aggressive all-rounder Stokes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England have also 'gone back to the future' by recalling experienced new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad to their squad at Lord's.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The pair, England's two most successful bowlers at this level, with 1,177 Test wickets between them, were controversially omitted from a recent 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That reverse meant England had won just one of their last 17 Tests and they are now bottom of the World Test Championship table.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But a policy of rest and rotation, a consequence in part of tight coronavirus restrictions, is no longer favoured by a new regime keen to concentrate on the game in front of them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Broad is eager to play his part, even though he may be denied a 25th Test appearance at Lord's this week amid competition from Craig Overton and the uncapped Matthew Potts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"From the outside when you see a Brendon McCullum and a Ben Stokes mindset come together, it's pretty exciting," said Broad, 35.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Brendon said to the bowling group: 'don't focus too much on economy rates, I want wickets. Let's try and get as many wickets as we can, as soon as possible'. So it's 'where can I get an extra slip from? Where can I get a short leg from?' rather than being too defensive."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
New Zealand, who could be without Trent Boult following the left-arm quick's recent arrival from Indian Premier League duty, have had just two warm-up games in England prior to the first Test.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Last year, however, they had even less preparation ahead of a two-match series in England and still emerged 1-0 winners before beating India in the inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Playing at Lord's has inspired many a touring team, with New Zealand paceman Tim Southee -- who has taken 20 wickets in four Tests at Lord's, including five-wicket hauls in 2013 and 2021 that gained him a place on the dressing room honours board -- keen to add to his tally at the 'Home of Cricket'.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's a special place," he said. "I've been fortunate to play here a few times and you get that tingling feeling every time you turn up here...You walk in, you look up and I think the first thing everyone does is look up the honours board and you see some pretty cool names."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the teams may not be greeted by the sight of a traditional packed crowd for a Test at Lord's, with some 16,000 tickets over the first four days at the London ground still available 48 hours before the start of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Peak ticket prices of £160 ($202) per day amid cost of living concerns may have played a part in reduced sales, with events surrounding the platinum jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II another potential factor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Broad said England had a responsiblity to enthuse their fans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's not just results, it's the style of cricket," he explained.<\/p>\r\n\r\n