Former New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum, has emerged as the favorite to be appointed as England’s next Test coach. According to reports, McCullum’s aggressive approach alongside new England captain, Ben Stokes, is seen as a winning combination by the higher-ups in the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
England’s new Director of Cricket, Rob Key, has already made some important decisions in the ECB in his short tenure so far. He appointed Stokes as the new captain of the Test side and has also announced that ECB will appoint separate coaches for red-ball and white-ball cricket.
The legendary Kiwi batter was initially expected to apply for England’s white-ball coaching role due to his exploits as a player and coach in T20 cricket. It is believed that McCullum will be the ideal candidate to bring England’s red-ball cricket out of a rut as England cricket look forward to making some crucial calls in the coming months.
It is expected that ECB will make the announcement regarding McCullum’s appointment in the next few days. McCullum will replace former coach, Chris Silverwood, who resigned from his position after England’s horrid showing in the Ashes.
Former Lahore Qalandars captain has never coached at the first-class level. However, he has been a successful coach in T20 cricket as he led Trinbago Knight Riders to the title in CPL 2020. He also coached Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit, Kolkata Knight Riders, in the 2019 edition.
McCullum had an illustrious Test career as well. He scored 6,453 runs at an average of 38.64 in 101 matches for the Black Caps. He also led them to seven consecutive unbeaten Test series as captain of the side.