Former England captain Michael Atherton has praised the "bold and imaginative" appointment of Brendon McCullum by England.
McCullum was named England's new Test head coach on Thursday, replacing Chris Silverwood after his dismissal in the wake of the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Rob Key decided to bring in separate Test and white-ball head coaches after he was appointed as managing director of England men's cricket last month and chose McCullum for the longer form of the game.
"I think it's a very bold and imaginative choice, and an inspiring choice from Rob Key," Atherton told Sky Sports.
"Giving Ben Stokes the captaincy was the obvious choice and so his first big decision was to give Brendon McCullum the Test job.
"A week or so ago I don't think that was on anybody's radars, so he's not made the obvious choice here, but I think it's a very bold choice."
McCullum captained New Zealand and has coached in limited overs cricket in the Caribbean and Indian Premier Leagues, but this is his first coaching job in Test cricket.
Atherton does not think that lack of experience is a problem, however.
"I don't think it's a concern. Some other people within the professional coaching environment may think so," the former Lancashire batsman said.
"His limited coaching experience has come in the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders and in the CPL with their sister team. But he did play 100 Tests, scored a Test match triple hundred and he was very significant in Test cricket in his own right.
"As captain, he really led New Zealand into a brave new era, from the moment he took over – in Cape Town 2013 – the very first innings New Zealand were bowled out for 45. It was a really low ebb and a very difficult transition from Ross Taylor.
"But after that, he led boldly and fearlessly, and transformed that New Zealand team to the point which he laid the foundations for Kane Williamson's team that became World Test champions and have been very significant players in ICC events. So as a captain and as a leader, he's got plenty of experience in Test cricket."
Atherton also believes the relationship between McCullum and new England skipper Ben Stokes should thrive given both have similar aggressive approaches to the game.
"He's a nice fit with Stokes, they both approach the game and play the game in a similar manner and they'll look to give very clear message, captain and coach, and show they're singing from the same hymn sheet to a team you now expect to be given a bit of freedom and licence to play," he said.
"Neither Stokes nor McCullum are shy characters when it comes to playing the game of cricket, they like to take the game on and play it aggressively.
"One assumes that McCullum as a coach is going to be very similar to McCullum as a player and captain."
Euro 2024 social round-up: What might have been for Wimbledon, UEFA turns 70
Day two of Euro 2024 picked up the excitement where it left off, with a historic round of games on Saturday.
Switzerland joined Germany level on points at the top of Group A with an impressive 3-1 win over Hungary before Spain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia in their Group B opener with three first-half goals.
Italy's European Championships title defence got off to a perfect start as they bounced back from conceding the earliest goal in the tournament's history (23 seconds) by beating Albania 2-1.
While the football continued to entertain, there was also plenty of action on social media. Here's a pick of some of the best posts.
What might have been for Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon's official X account drew plenty of attention as the admin latched onto the hype over Jamal Musiala, following the Germany international's magical display against Scotland.
Musiala grew up in England, and represented AFC Wimbledon, via the Corpus Christi Primary School, in the EFL Utilita Kids Cup.
It's clear from the highlights of that match, in which Musiala scored a hat-trick and left defenders mesmerised - a bit like he did on Friday - that he was a special talent.
Embolo back on the scene
Breel Embolo endured an injury-hit campaign for Monaco, but he is back to fitness in time to feature for Switzerland, for whom he remains a crucial player.
And after coming on as a second-half substitute, Embolo sealed the three points as the Swiss beat Hungary 3-1 in the first game of the day.
As the official Euro 2042 X account pointed out, Embolo has now netted in successive Euros tournaments for his nation.
Birthday boy
Pascal Gross is a newcomer to Germany's squad, and came on for his major tournament debut during Friday's 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.
The Brighton midfielder then celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday, with Germany's official X account sharing the celebrations.
That big win over Scotland, and his Euros bow, was surely a great way to welcome in his 34th year.
UEFA turns 70
Gross was not the only one celebrating a birthday on Saturday.
Indeed, UEFA marked the 70th anniversary of its founding, which came on June 15, 1954.
"It's a story of devotion, dedication and dreams..." shared the governing bodies' official X account.
Barcelona show pride of record-breaking youngster
Spain got off to the perfect start in the so-called 'group of death' with a rampant 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.
But, when the team sheets came out before the game, all the headlines quickly turned to Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest-ever player to appear at the Euros at 16 years and 338 days.
After an impressive performance by the youngster, Barcelona were quick to remind fans where he came from with a post on X: "He's very good... and he's ours."
Van Dijk, Simons and De Ligt put to the test
The Netherlands are yet to open their campaign in Euro 2024, but put aside their preparation to take some time to answer questions from young fans.
Xavi Simons was quizzed on which defender scares him the most - fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk - while the captain and Matthijs de Ligt rated their chances of winning the tournament.
Final preparations
England open their campaign when they take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, and on Saturday, Gareth Southgate's team ran through their MD-1 training session.
All 26 players were involved in the session, with England allowing their fans to watch on live via a post on X.
Only part of the session was broadcast, however, so any Serbia spies could not garner too much information about Southgate's tactics ahead of the Group C clash.
England's Super 8s fate rests in Scotland's hands after Namibia win
England's hopes of making it to the Super 8s are still alive after a 41-run victory on DLS over Namibia on Saturday.
The rain heavily delayed the start in Antigua, reducing the match to a 10-over-a-side game.
Despite the must-win nature of the match, England's openers got off to a slow start with Jos Buttler bowled for a duck while Phil Salt was dismissed for just 11.
Harry Brook was the star with 47 not out, with Jonny Bairstow's 31 adding to their cushion, though Ruben Trumpelmann finished strongly for Namibia with a 2-31.
With England finishing on 122-5, Namibia were set a target of 127 on DLS, and their chase got off to a steady start, but by the halfway point, Namibia still needed 92 runs from 30 balls.
Shortly after, Niko Davin retired with 18, and two big catches by Brook took out Michael van Lingen (33) and David Wiese (27) ensured England eased to victory.
Now, England need to hope that Australia beat Scotland in their Group B match, otherwise, the holders will be going out in the group stage.
Data Debrief: England's hopes stay alive
Brook was the standout performer for England on both sides today, stalling Nambia's admittedly slow chase, while contributing the most to their run chase with a knock including four fours and two sixes.
It is his largest run total at the World Cup so far, more than doubling his tally from their defeat to Australia (20).
In Bravo we trust: Afghanistan hails impact of former Windies skipper in current T20 World Cup success
Afghanistan’s Head coach Jonathan Trott and seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi praised the assistance of bowling consultant Dwayne Bravo, whose expertise they believe has been integral to their success in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup so far.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACC) appointed Bravo prior to the global showpiece, and their decision has so far proven fruitful, as the former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies all-rounder’s influence has been invaluable to their charge.
Contesting Group C alongside co-host West Indies, Afghanistan have been rampant so far, as they easily brushed aside Uganda, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, on their way to qualifying for the Super Eight knockout phase.
Bravo, 40, a legend in the game’s shortest format, featured in the West Indies 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup titles, and more importantly has played over 550 matches, and this experience that he brings to the Afghanistan setup has certainly been felt.
“Obviously, Bravo is really well-respected. His work ethic is great, along with the other coaches. His knowledge of the game and the amount of T20 cricket he has played, the conditions and obviously his knowledge of the local grounds and how they are going to play (are great assets),” Trott said, during the post-game briefing after their seven-wicket win over PNG on Thursday.
"I've obviously played against him and getting to spend a lot of time with him is great and it is great to have him on our side. He works with the bowlers and he works with the batters as well. He was a really good all-rounder, wasn't he? Lots of experience to draw from and we are pleased we've secured his services," the former England star added.
Farooqi, who has taken a tournament-high 12 wickets at the T20 World Cup, says Bravo has given them valuable insights on how to bowl at critical stages of the match.
"DJ Bravo, I have been with him from the last four years. I have played with him in the same team. He knows me and I know how big a player he is. He gives us tips on how we bowl in the death, how we bowl in crucial situations. He is a big player. He is a mentor to us," he said.
"He has given me ideas on how I should bowl in the death in the pressure time. How I should use the slow ball, how I should use the long ball (yorker). That for us is a good thing," Farooqi noted.
Afghanistan will play West Indies on Monday in their final preliminary round match, which is merely to decide, who will enter the knockout stages with their unbeaten record intact.
For the Super Eight, Afghanistan are drawn alongside Australia and India, with Bangladesh or Netherlands to be their next opponent.
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