McCullum also showered praise on England captain Ben Stokes, who is coming on the back of a facial injury and will lead the squad in the upcoming series against the Black Caps.
“He still has the burning desire to perform as England captain with bat, ball and in the field.
“We need to unlock him, he needs to unlock himself a little bit and I am hopeful that is going to work out.
“He is such an influential player for us, not just as captain. Batting in the middle order, bowling as he does, his energy in the field, his presence as a leader. It would be nice if all three aspects were firing and I am quietly confident we will see that this summer,” he added.
England will feature in a three-match Test series against New Zealand starting June 4 at Lord’s.
England squad for first Test against New Zealand: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Series schedule:
First Test – June 4-8, Lord’s
Second Test – June 17-21, The Oval
Third Test – June 25-29, Nottingham
