Brendon McCullum will now play double responsibility for the England cricket team. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has also made McCullum the head coach of the white-ball team. He is the head coach of the England Test team since May 2022. McCullum will start coaching England’s ODIs and T20s from January 2025. England Test team captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes has reacted to former New Zealand veteran cricketer McCullum getting a ‘double role’. He is very happy with McCullum’s appointment. He has told white-ball team captain Jos Buttler about the specialty of coach McCullum.
“So I say please don’t do this.”
According to ESPNcricinfo report, Stokes said, “If I had any selfishness in me, I would have said, ‘No, please don’t do this.’ But I am an English fan, I am a fan of England cricket and I cannot think of a better person to appoint as the new coach of the white-ball team. I think Jos Buttler will really enjoy working with coach McCullum. He gives everyone a platform to express themselves better and enjoy.” 33-year-old Stokes is not playing the Sri Lanka series due to a hamstring injury.
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Brendon McCullum will replace Mott
McCullum will replace Matthew Mott, who resigned as head coach of the white-ball team after the T20 World Cup 2024. Under Mott’s guidance, the team failed to defend the ODI and T20 World Cup titles. He was the coach for two years. Under his coaching, England won the T20 World Cup in 2022. The ECB implemented the split-coaching model in 2022 but now took a U-turn. McCullum’s contract has been extended till 2027. After the new responsibility, McCullum said, “I am excited by the prospect of guiding both the teams and am grateful for the support I have received from the ECB and my family to handle these additional responsibilities.”