England left-arm spinner Jack Leach has credited new Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum for his superb performance in the ongoing third Test against New Zealand here, saying while he always had the self-belief, the two had helped him gain further confidence in his abilities.
Leach had come into the third Test on the back of unimpressive showing in the two previous Tests against the Kiwis, and there were calls for him to be replaced after the series. But the 31-year-old completed a career-best 10-wicket match haul at Headingley to set England on course for a clean sweep of the series against the Black Caps.
Leach, who took five wickets in each innings of the Headingley Test, said he had not thought he would be able to come up with such a fine performance and would play a pivotal role in putting the hosts in command of the match.
