England appoint McCullum as white-ball coach

Brendon McCullum played 101 Tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20s for New Zealand before moving into coaching

England have appointed Brendon McCullum as their new men's white-ball coach, which the New Zealander will combine with his current role as Test coach.

McCullum, 42, will replace Australian Matthew Mott, who stepped down after this summer's T20 World Cup, and begins his dual role in January 2025.

McCullum has overseen a dramatic turnaround for the Test team alongside captain Ben Stokes and says he is "energised" by the prospect of signing a new contract which increases the scope of his role and extends his job with England until the end of 2027.

"This new challenge is something I'm ready to embrace, and I'm eager to work closely with [captain] Jos Buttler and the team to build on the strong foundations already in place," he said.

"[Men's director of cricket] Rob Key's vision for the future of English cricket is something that really resonated with me. The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense.

"I'm energised by the prospect of guiding both teams. The talent within English cricket is immense."

Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach of the white-ball team for their upcoming series against Australia and in the Caribbean later this year, with McCullum's first assignment a tour of India before February's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

England 'fortunate' McCullum prepared to commit - Key

Since taking charge of a Test side that had won one of its previous 17 Tests, McCullum has instilled a fearless brand of cricket, nicknamed 'Bazball', which has seen England win 19 of their 28 Tests since.

Under the New Zealander, England's Test team scores at 4.57 runs per over on average, compared to 3.09 in their 29 Tests previously.

McCullum is also credited with being the inspiration for the style of play which saw England's white-ball team go from an embarrassing World Cup exit in 2015 to champions in 2019.

He takes over a squad which is in need of renewal, with a number of the World Cup-winning team nearing the end of their careers.

Under Mott, who was appointed when England split the head coach roles in 2022, England won the T20 World Cup in Australia.

However, they endured a calamitous 50-over World Cup in India last year, winning only three of their nine matches.

And they surrendered the T20 title in the Caribbean and United States in June, beaten in the semi-finals by eventual champions India.

"I'm delighted Brendon has chosen to do both roles with England," said Key. "I believe we are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket.

"Being able to align all teams now is particularly exciting.

"For the last two years, constant clashes between formats have made it challenging for the white-ball environment; fortunately, these are easing starting from January.

"The timing of the schedule [from January] will allow him to dedicate the necessary focus to both roles."

After the Test series ends against Sri Lanka at The Oval next week, McCullum will take a short break at home in New Zealand before joining the Test team for their winter tours of Pakistan in October and the three-match series against New Zealand in December.

'An exciting move for English cricket' - analysis

Brendon McCullum, left, will now be on the same side as England white-ball captain Jos Buttler

Chief cricket writer Stephan Shemilt

Whispers that McCullum may be in line for the white-ball job started to emerge during England's second-Test defeat of Sri Lanka over the weekend.

It is a move that makes a lot of sense. Splitting the teams effectively creates a two-tier system, inevitably with the white-ballers coming second.

McCullum, probably the best thing to happen to English cricket in the past 20 years, can now sprinkle the stardust he dropped on the Test team to Jos Buttler's beleaguered limited-overs outfit.

The big question is how McCullum will combine the two jobs. He lives in New Zealand and England's schedule is busy. Expect some deputies to step in from time to time.

Overall, it feels a very good move. Any other white-ball coach would have been in McCullum’s shadow. An extra two years of the New Zealander, which includes home and away Ashes series, is hugely exciting.