England has appointed Brendon McCullum as the full-time coach of their white-ball teams, recognizing his transformative impact on the Test side. Rob Key, England's managing director, highlights the value of having a coach of McCullum's caliber dedicated solely to English cricket, especially in an era dominated by lucrative franchise leagues.
McCullum will combine both roles from the start of 2025 as part of a new three-year deal that will extend his time in English cricket until the end of 2027. Since assuming the red-ball role in May 2022, McCullum - with the help of Stokes - has overseen a shift in culture and results.
England have won 19 out of 28 Tests in that time. That in turn produced six series victories out of nine, with just one defeat, away from India at the start of this year.
England's white-ball set-up has struggled as the golden generation that lifted the 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup came to the end of their life cycle. Matthew Mott, who was appointed alongside McCullum to oversee limited-overs matters, stepped down in July following disappointing showings at the 2023 50-over World Cup and the T20 edition earlier this summer.
Ben Stokes says the decision to enlist Brendon McCullum as England men's new limited-overs coach is "an unbelievable move", and believes his influence will be especially beneficial to the new generation of players who are set to come through the white-ball set-up in the coming months.
"I think it's great for English cricket," England's red-ball Ben Stokes told Sky Sports when asked to share his thoughts on McCullum's new role. "What Baz (Brendon McCullum) has given to this team and the individuals in the team and the confidence it has instilled in myself and the team is brilliant.
"I am really looking forward to the guys who are involved in the white-ball team to experience that as well. He is a fantastic human being and a great coach. I am really excited for the white-ball side to be able to go forward with Baz and Jos (Buttler) in front. He (McCullum) obviously has taken this challenge on board because he feels like he can make a difference and he can help and that's something you want in your coach."
"He's a fantastic human being and a great coach" ?️
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 4, 2024
Ben Stokes says "it's great for English cricket" that Brendon McCullum has been appointed England white-ball coach in addition to role as Test coach ???????pic.twitter.com/n0y7NjuOQV
Stokes argued that a coach must be knowledgeable and prepared to lead the team, not simply a spectator who lets the situation dictate the players' decisions.
"You don't want a coach who's just gonna come in and let things just play out and whatever will be.. will be...but Baz is a very determined person to come in and make an influence wherever he goes in the world as a coach. I think it's unbelievable for English cricket that Brendon's gonna be coaching both teams," Stokes concluded.
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