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McCullum believes it will take a miracle for Australia to beat England at home

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has wished Australia good luck for their Ashes series just weeks after stating that it is near impossible to beat England at home.

McCullum’s comments come after he recently led his team in five Test matches against Alastair Cook’s men.

Three of the five Tests were played in New Zealand, in which the Blackcaps managed to restrict England to a 0-0 draw, but as soon as England were back on home soil, they had a new aura around them and ended up whitewashing New Zealand 2-0.

“I think England are going to be a tough team to beat,” McCullum said. “They seem to have got their swagger back against us in that final Test match.

“What we saw in that Test match is a team that when they are firing they are an incredibly tough team, not just to beat but to compete against. I thought for long periods of the summer we held our own against them but when it really mattered they flexed their muscles. I don’t expect that will change in the home summer here against Australia.”

McCullum also noted that 30-year-old opening batsman Nick Compton was unlucky not to have made the Ashes squad and to add insult to injury, his opening spot was taken over by 22-year-old Joe Root.

“It’s probably a touch harsh on Compton after scoring two brilliant hundreds against us back home,” McCullum added. “For us we came off a Test series where he performed exceptionally well against us.

“We targeted him as one of the key wickets at the top of the order. He pained us for a fair amount of time back home with his innings. I thought we bowled exceptionally well to him (in England). They weren’t easy batting conditions either at the top of the order.”