New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum believes that their drubbing against South Africa in January last year led to his side's rise to record a year of Test wins.
New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets Monday, and the team's cricketers have linked a record year of Test wins to a drubbing two years ago by South Africa.
New Zealand won five Tests in 2014 for the first time in a calendar year after series wins at home against India, 1-0, and away in the West Indies, 2-1. They also drew a series with Pakistan, 1-1, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month, Sport24 reported.
McCullum believes that his side's improvement could be directly linked to a disastrous innings of 45 against South Africa in January 2013. After that humiliation things had to change.
McCullum claimed that they sat down and worked out where they were at after being bowled out for 45 against South Africa. He added that they knew they had to make some changes, not just from an internal point of view but also externally how the public viewed them.
The skipper said that it was essential to all of them that they wanted the public support and the best way to go about that is to make sure one is out there and trying to represent New Zealand with everything they have got.
After being humbled in South Africa, losing both Tests by an innings, New Zealand drew six and lost two of their next eight Tests before ending 2013 with back-to-back wins over West Indies. This year they have won five and drawn two of nine Tests, the report added.