Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum played 101 Tests for New Zealand

England will pick their best team at every opportunity, rather than resting and rotating players, according to new Test coach Brendon McCullum.

In response to the demands of Covid-19, England spent a lot of last year rotating the Test team.

I will probably get in trouble, but I like to pick the best team.

My job is to plan as if you will live forever, but die tomorrow.

The 40-year-old was speaking to the media for the first time since being appointed Test coach.

His native New Zealand will host his first Test on Thursday.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been recalled to the England squad after being left out of the West Indies series.

Anderson and Broad have played together in only 10 of England's past 26 Tests.

They would be playing in the same XI.

Why not? He said they can work together.

There might have been times when the combination wasn't as good as everyone hoped, but there are other circumstances that could have made a difference. I am not against picking them together.

England has only won one of their 17 Tests in the last 17 years. The series against New Zealand marks the beginning of a new era with new Test captain Ben Stokes.

The former New Zealand skipper was known for his innovative captaincy. He sees similarities between himself and the man.

He is going to be a wonderful leader and I like that he plays the game how I like it to be played.

He could fly. He could become the captain and go to a whole new level. We will just play what we see and feel in that moment, and I am sure the relationship between me and Stokesy will flourish.

With England winless in their past five Test series, McCullum says he is aware of the big job in front of him.

He will not try to reverse England's fortunes by expecting every player to copy his style.

"I'm very different as a coach to how I was as a player, and that's what I'm trying to change."

I like to allow guys to realise their potential and not play how I played. I would never want anyone to do that, it comes with an immense amount of disappointment. It is not for everyone.

As a coach, your job is to understand everyone's game, understand them as people, and understand their ambitions. You try to make sense of it for a common goal.

When he lines up against the world Test champion next week, he expects some difficult emotions.

I have knowledge of the New Zealand guys. He said that they had been on a lot of great journeys together.

I have a job to do here. If we expect New Zealand to play well, we will have to play better.

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