Modern cricketers love a buzz phrase, and the current one across all England teams is "adapting to conditions" .
A catch-all term open to interpretation, adaptation can take many forms. It can be applied to squad selections, team XIs, batting orders, on-field moves, individual decisions and, ultimately, the result.
When England win, they adapt well. When they lose, the did not adapt well enough. And right now, no one is adapting better than their T20I side.
Thursday night's victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff - taking the series with a game to spare - was the team's 22nd win across their last 25 completed matches since Harry Brook became limited-overs captain last summer.
After turning over India 4-0 earlier this season, they are making light work of a much weaker Sri Lanka outfit. But you can trace much of this team's long- and short-term adaptation within the comfortable six-wicket victory at Sophia Gardens.
Before Brook had officially taken over from Jos Buttler, he told managing director Rob Key the white-ball sides lacked a quality left-arm spinner. Since then, Liam Dawson has been an ever-present, and figures of 3 for 32 - including two-in-two during the power play to cap Sri Lanka's fast start - has him on 33 dismissals since the start of the 2025 summer. Only Adil Rashid (40) has more, at a worse economy rate. Not bad for someone who admits he is the most defensive option next to Rashid and Will Jacks in England's spin trio.
Dawson's first wicket at Sophia Gardens came via a leaping Jamie Overton at mid-on. The Surrey allrounder is a strong fielder and, at 6ft 5in, regularly patrols down the ground, giving bowlers extra insurance when batters try and hit over the top. This time, it was Lahiru Udara who failed to clear the man-mountain on the edge of the circle.
That frame is a key reason why McCullum and Brook have embedded Overton in the team. Particularly when faced with the surface and ground dimensions presented at Cardiff.
After Dawson had capped Sri Lanka's good start at the end of the Powerplay, Overton, as one of three quicks to accompany the three twirlers, bowled his four overs straight. Hard length, cross-seam deliveries and the odd variation in pace garnered him 2 for 23.
"We looked at the stats and it said that spin played a decent part on this pitch," Brook said of the three-and-three strategy. "But we knew there was going to be quite a bit of bounce as well, hence why we went with two taller bowlers [Overton and Jofra Archer] and one a bit skiddier [Sonny Baker]."
It was left to Tom Banton to finish the innings, a role he is still adjusting to but with success. An unbeaten 52 from 24 was his third half-century this year. All have come in successful chases.
"If I'm not batting, I think the team's doing quite well," Banton said of his new outlook as one who remains a top-order batter across his numerous other T20 commitments beyond England duty. "It's a big change, definitely."
The pursuit of improvement is taking place within the group, although Banton has not quite summoned the courage to pick Kevin Pietersen's brain. "I'm still a little bit in awe of him… I'm not very good of that," he said of lining up a one-on-one chat with the team's new mentor. In the meantime, he is quizzing another personal hero, Jos Buttler, on finishing.
"I'm trying to speak to other people about how they used to play it. Jos used to bat in the middle, so I speak to him a little bit and various people.
"Rotating strike… very simple things. When you first come in, trying to avoid dot balls. Sometimes that's hard. And then when it's your night, really make sure you finish it off. And when your match-up comes on, trying to make the most of that."
For individuals like Banton, and Jacks as another opener being repurposed as an international closer, adaptation relies on time and headspace to learn on the job. Banton has benefited from both of those, though admits even that took getting used to.
The 27-year-old has been forthcoming about the stresses endured after breaking onto the scene at a young age - leading to a T20I debut in 2019, aged 20 - and failing to deal with the challenges that followed. Upon his return to the side for a T20I last summer at Chester-le-Street against West Indies after three years out, that anxiety returned when he thought he had immediately blown his chance after scoring just 3.
That was until McCullum came up to him in the analyst room and assured him not to worry about this one failure. He was being backed to make the position his own.
"I still remember my first game back; I was quite nervous away in Durham against West Indies and I didn't get many. I thought, 'oh no, this might not last too long!' And Baz came straight over to me and said something so small, but so meaningful and it's something I always think back on to myself."
Accommodating different personalities can also be filed under "adapting to conditions". One of the traits this T20I and ODI group share with Eoin Morgan's trailblazers is a holistic approach to camaraderie and the onus on establishing connections throughout the group.
The core of this team are around the same age - Brook, for instance, led Banton and Jacks at England U19 level - with the experienced heads of Buttler, Rashid, and Dawson important threads back to the 2015-19 vintage. Everyone is on an equal-footing, including those not in the XI, who are encouraged to offer their insights, whether when running drinks or walking the perimeter of the boundary during the match.
"Away from cricket, I think we're really tight as a group," Banton said. "I'm best mates with a lot of people in that group and, and I think that's been really important for us.
"We spend a lot of time away from cricket together, you know, small things [like] playing cards, playing [dice game] Perudo. Small things that are not that important. But when it comes onto the ground, and there's a big moment in the game, you've got to be able to trust each other. I think that's something we've really developed over the last 18 months.
"There's just a really good buzz at the moment in the group and we're just trying to keep it really simple not taking it for granted."