Rob Key has highlighted the "unbelievable job" that Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have done in turning around the fortunes of England's Test team this summer, saying the pair have "that bit of magic".
Coming into the summer, England had won only won one of their prior 17 Test matches, a run of form that led to former director of England men's cricket, Ashley Giles, and head coach, Chris Silverwood, losing their jobs.
Key was appointed as Giles' replacement in April and was tasked with finding a new coach and captain to lead the Test team, following Joe Root's resignation as skipper, and ultimately settled on McCullum and Stokes.
Under the pair, England have won six out of seven Tests this summer, capped with the 2-1 series win over South Africa, playing an exhilarating, positive new brand of cricket along the way.
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Speaking to Sky Sports after England's nine-wicket, series-clinching victory at The Oval, Key admitted even he has been amazed at the turnaround.
"When I took this job on, I thought anything that happens this year is a bonus," Key said. "We just wanted to try and win a couple of games and see what happened from there.
"What Stokes and McCullum and those players have done - and all of the support staff and coaches who have got on board with it - has been an unbelievable job.
"My view was always that we had to change the mentality of our cricket. I then went to try and find people who could do that, and they have done it better than I thought anyone could to be honest.
"They have done it by just being themselves, doing what they think and what they believe. And they have taken everyone with them.
"I just love the fact that everyone has enjoyed watching Test cricket. It has been fantastic."
Explaining further the appointments of McCullum and Stokes, and the shift in mindset and approach that they've brought to the team, Key talked of the pair's "magic" and how the skipper, in particular, was on "another level".
"All it was was thinking, 'how do you get the best out of talented individuals?," Key said. "Who are the best people to get the best out of Jonny Bairstow? Players like that, who we have watched play and think he's so good this lad.
"We're all of the same philosophy, though Stokes is to another level.
"He is so inspirational. And the other thing that shouldn't be underestimated is how smart he is. He has not wasted one word, there is always a reason for what he does, what he says and how he says it.
"Whatever style of cricketer you are, there is something in it for you. It's about trying to maximise each individual and get them to perform to their potential, and they've done it so well.
"When you go through life, you don't want someone telling you what you can't do all of the time. There is no real secret to it.
"All of the great people you listen to, they are not saying 'be careful of this', 'don't play outside there', 'don't do this'.
"If you're going to be inspired by people, you want them to convince you that you can do something that maybe you can't do. That's what Stokes and Brendon do in particular - they give you confidence.
"What you need is that bit of inspiration, that bit of magic, and those two have it."
McCullum: Anderson and Broad will be at Ashes next summer
England's all-time leading Test wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be part of the squad for next year's Ashes series against Australia, says head coach Brendon McCullum.
Anderson, 40, and Broad, 36, were part of the England squad that suffered a 4-0 defeat in Australia at the last Ashes, and both were then omitted from the three-match series in West Indies where England lost 1-0.
Mired in a run of one win in 17 Tests, England named Ben Stokes to replace Joe Root as captain in April and brought in McCullum as coach in May.
Broad and Anderson returned to the squad under the new leadership, helping the team win six of their seven Tests this summer.
"Yeah, they'll be here," McCullum told reporters when asked if they would be in his Ashes squad.
"They're both smiling. How good's that? Those guys are phenomenal cricketers. They could finish any time they wanted and they'd still be considered greats of the game.
"What they're doing is continuing to build on the legacy they're going to leave for the next generation - the time they're giving other people in the dressing-room is phenomenal.
"Stuff you don't see behind the scenes. The time, the effort and the confidence they're giving the other guys is quite remarkable, really."