Brendon McCullum is the "perfect person" to turn around England's Test fortunes, according to Andrew Strauss, who was a part of the selection panel for the new men's head coach.
England have won just one of their last 17 Tests, leading to the resignation of captain Joe Root, with Ben Stokes stepping up as skipper in April.
Former opener Rob Key was also appointed as managing director of men's cricket and was tasked with reshaping the faltering structure to make England competitive once more in the five-day game.
As well as confirming Stokes as captain, a decision was made to hire separate coaches for the red ball and limited-overs sides, with McCullum announced as Test coach on Thursday.
The decision represents somewhat of a gamble as New Zealand legend McCullum has only ever coached T20 franchises in the form of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders and their Caribbean Premier League affiliate Trinbago Knight Riders.
However, McCullum played 101 Tests for New Zealand and captained the side through a transformative period, and Strauss believes the 40-year-old is a great appointment by England.
"I'm delighted and I'm excited. He blew us away with his clarity of thinking and his simple approach," the England and Wales Cricket Board's strategic adviser Strauss told Sky Sports.
"He's a very positive guy with a very clear mindset and he will embed that in the Test team at a time when confidence is a bit low and people need a bit of clarity and direction.
"He's an impressive guy. He can't wait to start and, quite frankly, I can't wait for him to start.
"[As a player] he was incredibly ambitious, he used to run down the wicket against some of the quickest bowlers in the world.
"He always took the positive option, he wasn't scared of failing, he wasn't scared of making mistakes and I think that is what this Test team needs at the moment.
"They need someone to back them, to give them confidence and inspire them, and they need to break the shackles and realise how good they are. I think he's the perfect person to do that."
McCullum's first task will see England host his country of birth, New Zealand, in a three-Test series that starts at Lord's on June 2.
Rovman Powell powers Delhi Bulls to victory over Ajman Bolts in Abu Dhabi T10
Rovman Powell delivered a scintillating match-winning performance to lead the Delhi Bulls to a commanding 35-run victory over the Ajman Bolts in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.
The Bulls, batting first, posted an imposing 126-5 in their 10 overs, with Powell smashing a breathtaking 58 off just 22 balls. His explosive knock included four fours and five towering sixes, propelling the team to a formidable total. Powell was well-supported by Tim David, who hammered 29 off 13 balls with four sixes, and James Vince, who chipped in with 22 from 14 balls.
James Neesham was the pick of the bowlers for the Ajman Bolts, claiming 2-22, but he received little support as the Bulls capitalized on every scoring opportunity.
In their chase, the Ajman Bolts were stifled by disciplined bowling from the Delhi Bulls. Gulbadin Naib (22) and Shehan Jayasuriya (21) tried to build momentum, but the Bolts fell well short, managing only 91-6 in their 10 overs. Shahid Butta led the Bulls’ attack with an impressive 3-24, while Mohammad Rohid returned excellent figures of 2-10 to seal the victory.
Powell’s match-winning knock and the Bulls’ clinical bowling ensured a comprehensive win, keeping their Abu Dhabi T10 campaign firmly on track.
Robertson makes overseas players plea after New Zealand labour versus Italy
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has said he wants to see overseas-based players become eligible for the All Blacks after his side laboured to a 29-11 win over Italy.
The visitors recorded their 18th straight win against Italy to wrap up their autumn series, but Robertson's side were made to work for the victory in Turin in flanker Sam Cane's final Test for the team, ahead of his switch to play club rugby in Japan.
Speaking after the game, Robertson said he would ask New Zealand Rugby to follow in the footsteps of world champions South Africa and allow those playing outside domestic competitions to be eligible for the national team.
"We don't want to be a cycle behind or a couple of years behind," Robertson said.
"Professional rugby is always evolving. Let's keep an open mind and see what's next. I'll definitely be presenting.
"Using South Africa as an example, they get the opportunity to use a lot of experienced players who are looked after and managed well into their 30s so they've got a great balance.
"And they've got big squads, they can have two really quality 15s."
Jaiswal, Kohli tons put India on the verge of win against Australia
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli bagged magnificent centuries to put India in a commanding position on day three of their first Test match against Australia in Perth.
India declared in a dominant position of 487-6 after Jaiswal (161) built on their 172-0 at stumps on day two and former captain Kohli (100 not out) added quick runs with his first century in 16 months coming up during the final hour.
The tourists then wreaked havoc with the ball in five overs before stumps as captain Jasprit Bumrah dismissed debutant Nathan McSweeney (zero) and Marnus Labuschagne (three) before nightwatchman Cummins (two) fell to Mohammed Siraj with the score at 12, as the hosts trail by 521 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Earlier in the Test, India had scored 150 batting first before bundling out Australia for 104 in the first innings.
Jaiswal resumed his innings at 90 on the third day and brought up his century in the first hour before KL Rahul departed for 77 after an opening-wicket partnership of 201.
The centurion fell as India's third wicket at 313-3 as Australia picked up three wickets in the space of eight runs, but Kohli reached his ton with help from Washington Sundar (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 not out) as India asserted their dominance.
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