England men's Test team are ready to "shoot for the stars" in a defining year, says head coach Brendon McCullum.
They rose to second in the International Cricket Council Test rankings earlier this month, their highest position since McCullum was appointed in May 2022.
After a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, starting on Thursday, they will play marquee series at home against India and the Ashes in Australia.
"We're not trying to pick this team up any more," McCullum told the BBC Radio 5 Live Cricket show.
"It's a matter of taking this team from a good team into being something English people are really proud of."
England have won 22 of the 35 Tests they have played under McCullum, having won one of their previous 17 matches before the New Zealander took over.
"We're actually travelling pretty good but there's an opportunity now," he added.
"We're working from a position of strength but now's the time where we shoot for the stars."
Under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, England have delivered often thrilling cricket and secured landmark series wins away in Pakistan and New Zealand.
However, they failed to regain the Ashes in 2023, having gone 2-0 behind against Australia before surging back to draw the series, while they were also heavily beaten in India and lost in Pakistan last year.
After securing the series win in New Zealand in December, they lost the third and final Test in feeble fashion.
McCullum said he and his side wants England fans to feel an "attachment" to them, liking them both as players and their style of cricket, while also winning series.
"There's no greater opportunity than playing in big series against the best opposition on the biggest stage under the brightest lights to be able to test that," he added.
Stokes said he hated the word "ruthless" when asked about England trying to seal a 3-0 sweep in New Zealand.
But McCullum said the all-rounder is "the most ruthless" sportsperson he has ever met.
"He is unbelievably driven, to push himself, to push his team-mates, to win at all costs," he said.
"We're very lucky to have him in the chair because he's going to be very strong about trying to push this team to the next level."
Despite the obvious focus on the five-Test series against India and the Ashes down under, McCullum said England will not underestimate Zimbabwe in the four-day Test at Trent Bridge.
"We want to be where our feet are," he said.
"This game has an amazing ability to bring you back down to earth if you don't have the respect for the game or the respect for the opposition.
"We go into it as favourites so we need to make sure we're rock hard fit and ready to go and make good decisions under pressure."
English (US) ·