Exhilarating England kick off new era of cricket

Under the guidance of McCullum and new skipper Ben Stokes, this appears a side reborn, writes Ben Burrows

The third Test at Headingley was no less exhilarating than the two that proceeded it (Getty)

“If you can’t enjoy a series like this then what do you play for?” Joe Root does lots of things well and it’s hard to sum up the start of England’s new era any better than the former skipper did.

Root’s words came after he was once again key as England bludgeoned their way to victory in the third Test at Headingley and with it a 3-0 series whitewash over world Test champions, New Zealand.

This bold new vision for English cricket has been emphatically shown in three back-to-back-to-back thrilling run chases of 277, 299 and 296 with eye-catching, aggressive cricket thrust to the fore.