Brendon McCullum has been officially appointed the all-format coach of the England men’s cricket team. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have done away with the concept of having different coaches for different formats.
Just a few weeks ago, McCullum only had the responsibility to coach the Test side, while Matthew Motts was the white-ball coach. However, after a poor showing in the ODI World Cup 2023 and failure to defend the T20 World Cup crown, Motts has been removed.
Reacting to the big announcement from ECB, McCullum said in a media release:
“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.”
While ECB may have seen it as a wise move, here are two reasons why assigning white-ball coaching duties to McCullum is the wrong move.
1. Brendon McCullum has not done anything extraordinary as Test coach
The biggest reason why appointing McCullum as the all-format coach does not make sense is that he has not changed England’s fortunes significantly since taking over as the head coach. England have dominated against lower-ranked opponents, but when they visited India, Rohit Sharma’s men showed them who is the real boss.
2. Too much pressure on 1 man
England men’s cricket team plays too many matches. They have the highest number of Tests. Plus, they play ODIs and T20Is regularly as well. It can take toll on one man if he has to shoulder all three formats. Perhaps, England could have hired someone else for the white-ball coaching.
