The test team head coach of England, Brendon McCullum, has signed a contract extension until 2027 with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), but with additional charges of limited-overs sides. England has named McCullum their new all-format head coach, and he will take charge of white-ball sides from January 2025, ahead of the India tour and ICC Champions Trophy.
McCullum has extended his contract to the end of 2027. McCullum has been the men’s Test side’s head coach since 2022 and spearheaded their offensive strategy in the longest format. Prior to the Caribbean trip, Marcus Trescothick will take on the role of interim head coach for the men’s limited-overs team till McCullum takes over in January.
The agreement between McCullum and ECB follows the July firing of Matthew Mott as England’s head coach for white-ball cricket due to the team’s dismal defense of its 50- and 20-over World Cup titles. Rob Key, the ECB’s director of men’s cricket, has pulled off a huge coup considering how many big names seemed reluctant to apply for the position.
Ricky Ponting and Eoin Morgan were among the leading candidates to officially rule themselves out of contention, while Andy Flower’s status as one of the most sought-after franchise coaches in the world game meant he had little chance of returning to the ECB, a decade after his last stint as England head coach ended in 2014.
Even McCullum had not expressed much enthusiasm in the white-ball post. But in the wake of his successful tenure in Test cricket, especially with regard to the ‘Bazball’ mentality that freed the team’s mindset towards both success and failure, he has now agreed to take that philosophy to a white-ball setup led by Jos Buttler, which is undergoing a generational change in the upcoming international cycle.
McCullum will become the first England men’s coach to manage both the red- and white-ball teams since his predecessor in charge of the Test team, Chris Silverwood. A united role has also been nearly impossible for England due to the sheer volume of matches on their recent schedule—their T20 international series against Australia, for example, starts one day after the conclusion of the upcoming third Test against Sri Lanka—but Key mentioned a relative “easing” in the fixture list starting in 2025 that has made McCullum’s appointment more likely.
The prospect of a unified vision for England’s squads may be especially beneficial to Test incumbents such as Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson, who are young players with significant futures in both formats but whose opportunities to transfer their talents across formats will be limited due to the tight schedule.
McCullum shared his thoughts on taking up this new job by saying, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Test team, and I’m excited to extend my role to include the white-ball sides.”
“This new challenge is something I’m ready to embrace, and I’m eager to work closely with Jos (Buttler) and the team to build on the strong foundations that are already in place.
“The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense.”
Following this week’s end of the Sri Lanka series at The Kia Oval, McCullum is scheduled to depart England immediately. He will then have a little vacation back to New Zealand before re-joining the Test team in time for the October trip to Pakistan.
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