Attack is the best form of defence.
It's an old saying that still gets thrown around in the world of professional sports. But is it really the best one? Well, I have no doubt. And there is an illustration right in front of us that demonstrates why the old phrase is being used in this context. Allow me to bring some clear understanding to the situation.
Recently, the England cricket team decided to appoint Brendan McCullum to serve as their coach for red ball cricket. Brendan McCullum was renowned for his aggressive mentality and has long been regarded as a prestigious leader.
His teammates and the other players in the game looked up to him as a constant source of motivation. He was a very compact player who had a mindset of leading and attacking the game. Ben Stokes is currently the test captain of the England Cricket team, and with the recent signing of Brendon MacCallum, he now has Brendon MacCallum on his side. And precisely what the English cricket fans were hoping for all along! They were immediately mindful of the impact. The test series against New Zealand was Stokes-MacCallum's first assignment after being hired.
MacCallum's progress as a coach was put to the test for the very first time in the second game of the series. Stokes and Bairstow, two of his students, accomplished something that just a few short years ago was thought to be physically impossible. Simply because nobody wants to put themselves in danger on day five. However, the partnership of Stokes and Bairstow not only took a risk but also ended up winning the game for England. They have accomplished the unthinkable. Bairstow scored 136 runs while chasing 299, and Stokes scored 75 runs off of 70 balls. In the format of test cricket, Bairstow's century was the second fastest one to be scored for England.
And during the third match, Bairstow once again scored 162 runs with only 157 balls in the first innings, and 71 runs while chasing with only 44 balls in the second innings. It is no surprise that Bairstow is playing some of the best cricket of his career, given that he struggled mightily in the previous two series. Who exactly is the primary architect of both his aggressive mentality and his physical form? It can't be anyone else but Brendan MacCallum. Because he altered the way the players thought about the game. Although Joe Root is known as a traditional test batsman, I once saw him play the reverse sweep against Wagner and hit him for six. Therefore, there has been a shift in the mentalities of the players. The players are enjoying the game more than ever. They have just finished a 3-0 rout of New Zealand.
MacCallum's appointment will, in my opinion, have an effect not only on the Test team but also on the One-Day International cricket team. Even though England's One-Day International (ODI) cricket team is having some of their most successful games in recent years, I still get the impression that there is an effect. Now that they have nothing to fear from anyone else, the players' first inclination is to unleash hell. Because an Attack is the best form of defence.
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His first job as a coach would be to get his team ready to play New Zealand, the team he once commanded. An excellent task for him. Under his leadership, I believe the New Zealand team will do better.
He did a great job on his first assignment.
I'm not sure that attack is always the best form of defence and they'll be times in Test Match cricket where runs and wickets won't come as easily as they did in the series against New Zealand. Instead, I think it would be more accurate to say that positivity is the best form of defence (or attack for that matter). Being defensive doesn't mean being negative. Longer term success of the new McCullum/Stokes leadership will need to install that mentality.
Yes, definitely being defensive doesn't mean being negative. I totally agree with you. But when the opponent is attacking, one shouldn't try to defend. That is what I tried to mean.