Ben Stokes hailed the energy and lift new England head coach Brendon McCullum has brought to the side as they prepare for the second Test against New Zealand.
McCullum and Stokes have been tasked with transforming England's fortunes in five-day cricket after captain Joe Root stepped down and coach Chris Silverwood was dismissed following a torrid run of one win in 17 Tests.
England got off to a great start to the new era at Lord's, Root scoring an unbeaten 115 to guide the hosts to a five-wicket victory over New Zealand to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.
Stokes' side next head to Trent Bridge on Friday and can wrap up series victory over the world Test champions with a win in Nottingham.
While results will be undeniably at the forefront of McCullum's tenure, Stokes heaped praise on the New Zealand great for the feel-good environment he has instilled at England.
"It was fantastic," Stokes said of the win at Lord's as he addressed a news conference on Thursday.
"Obviously coming into the second game with a win under our belts straight away, with me captain and Brendon as coach, it's better than losing.
"One of the great things I've found about the last couple of weeks is genuinely just how much fun it has been.
"Sometimes the pressures of being an international cricketer, of delivering performances on a weekly basis, can get challenging.
"But we're playing for England and, when you play for your country, first and foremost the thing is to make sure you have as much fun as you can."
England will look to complete the series win before the third and final Test at Headingley, and Stokes believes the overhead conditions at Trent Bridge could serve his bowlers well.
"We're very evenly matched, especially in English conditions," he added. "Any overhead [cover] suits both our bowling attacks.
"We know that every time we go up against New Zealand it's never an easy ride. The game pretty much went to the wire until day four and we don't expect anything less."
Stokes also aimed to temper expectations surrounding Matthew Potts, who collected match figures of 7-68 on his Test debut, including the wicket of Black Caps captain Kane Williamson in both innings.
"The way that he started last week was obviously amazing," said Stokes. "It was pretty much a dream debut for him but I think the most important thing from a senior player point of view, and even for the coaches, is making sure that he keeps improving. And, if things don't go his way this week, it's not the be-all and end-all.
"But he's a fantastic competitor, that's why he got the opportunity to play.
"I obviously had to use him in a slightly different role because he normally takes the new ball for Durham, but he came on and I think he took a wicket three or four times in his first over when I asked him to do it.
"I'll be looking to use him in the same way, to come in and affect the game and hopefully try and take a wicket when we need one."
Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
Owen gives Bellingham 'massive chance' of Ballon d'Or success
Michael Owen believes Jude Bellingham has a "massive chance" of winning the Ballon d'Or after a stand-out debut season at Real Madrid.
Los Blancos won their 36th LaLiga title, losing just one of their league games while finishing 10 points clear of second-place Barcelona.
Bellingham ended the league campaign as Madrid’s top-scorer, netting 19 LaLiga goals and added another four in the Champions League to help them on their way to the final.
The attacking-midfielder has also created more chances under pressure (19) than any other midfielder in the Champions League, with four of those resulting in an assist for a Madrid teammate.
Bellingham is due to join up with England for Euro 2024 following the Champions League final as the Three Lions aim to win their first major trophy since 1966.
Bellingham is among the favourites to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or and would be the first Englishman to win it since Owen himself in 2001.
"The Ballon d'Or comes to players who have an exceptional season, not only personally, but who have had a season where they have won something or multiple titles," Owen told TNT Sports.
"If Jude Bellingham goes and wins LaLiga, which he already has done, as well as the Champions League all while being one of the stars of the show in that team, then he has got to be in the conversation.
"A lot will depend on Euro 2024 with England. If he has a good tournament and England go far, then you could rightly say that he has a massive chance."
Bellingham will face former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday as Madrid aim to lift a record-extending 15th title in the European Cup.
“We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series
South Africa stand-in Captain Rassie van der Dussen gave his West Indian counterparts all the praise in the world after his side suffered a dominant 0-3 defeat in their three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The hosts won last Thursday’s first encounter by 28 runs, their biggest win over South Africa in T20Is, and followed it up with a 16-run win in the second game on Saturday and a dominant eight-wicket triumph in the third match on Sunday.
The skipper put the South African performance down to an inability to quickly adapt to the conditions of the Sabina Park pitch.
“We just couldn’t adapt early enough. Yes, we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. I think we saw that in the first match but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,” van der Dussen said after Sunday’s game.
“I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front. It was a difficult wicket to bat on. I think they just out-skilled us, especially with the ball,” he added.
When asked about positives he could take from the three games, he singled out openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks as well as young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter who played the last two games, the first two T20Is of his career.
The 35-year-old, who was left out of South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, says an adjustment he hopes the team makes with the bat is to take a few more chances up front.
“Maybe just be a bit braver. We saw the way the West Indies play, especially in the power play. They really take it on and when the ball’s newer, it’s easier to score than in the back end when the ball gets soft,” he said.
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