The Ashes: Brendon McCullum says England are ready to decide the series

Coach Brendon McCullum believes his England side are ready for the clash ash The series that can “define” them.

England chose not to confirm their starting XI for the first Test in Perth, instead waiting for the draw on Friday, with the match scheduled to start at 02:20 GMT.

This means that player Shoaib Bashir is still in contention to play. If Bashir is omitted, the tourists will field a five-man pace attack, perhaps the fastest group of bowlers they have ever put together in a Test match.

McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes have revitalized the England Test squad since taking charge in 2022.

In his only interview since arriving in Australia, McCullum told BBC Sport: “There is nothing bigger than what we are about to reach.”

Speaking to Test Match Special commentator and former England player Phil Tufnell, McCullum added: “This team has been together for a good couple of years and we have been building towards this moment.

“It’s the biggest stage and it’s the bright lights. It’s a series that can define the teams and the people and the players within it. That’s good.

“You know you’re ready, you know you have the ability to compete at this level. Stay together and play the way you’re used to and we’ll see in a couple of months where we are.”

The former New Zealand captain added: “I’m very excited and probably more relaxed now than I was a few weeks ago.

“We got our team to the start line. I feel like our horse will run well. Whether we find another horse in the race that is better than us, who knows.”

England had won just one Test in the previous 17 Tests, including a 4-0 defeat in their last Ashes outing, when McCullum and Stokes combined in the summer of 2022.

They revolutionized the style of play in England, building a new team with a number of young players and achieving impressive series wins at home against New Zealand and South Africa, and then again against the New Zealanders and Pakistan.

But England have been unable to secure a win in a five-Test series against Australia or India, including a 2-2 draw in their last home match of 2023.

England have not won a single Test in Australia since their last win in that country 14 years ago. Only five England teams have won an Ashes series in Australia since World War II.