Brendon McCullum appointed England's Test coach

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed the appointment of Brendon McCullum as the England Test team’s coach. The upcoming three-Test series at home against New Zealand will be McCullum’s first assignment with the team, which will also have a new skipper in Ben Stokes following the resignation of Joe Root.

McCullum is currently with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2022, and is expected to link up with the squad subject to obtaining a work visa before the New Zealand series gets underway at Lord’s on June 2. The 40-year-old was earlier believed to be the frontrunner to coach the white-ball squads of England, given his coaching expertise in the limited-overs format, however, he later emerged as a contender for the red-ball team.

As it turns out, he came up as the unanimous choice of ECB’s selection panel that comprised of CEO Tom Harrison, recently-appointed MD Rob Key, Strategic Adviser Andrew Strauss and Performance Director Mo Bobat.

Commenting on the New Zealander’s appointment, Key noted McCullum’s “history of changing cricket culture and environments” while he stated that Stokes and McCullum will form a “formidable” partnership.

“We are delighted to confirm Brendon as England Men’s Test Head Coach. It has been a real privilege to get to know him and understand his views and vision for the game. I believe his appointment will be good for England’s Test team,” Key was quoted by an ECB release.

“He has a recent history of changing cricket culture and environments for the better, and I believe he is the person to do that for England’s red-ball cricket. We were incredibly fortunate to have a seriously strong list of quality candidates for the post, with Brendon demonstrating he was our number one choice. I believe in Brendon and Ben Stokes – a formidable coach and captain partnership. Time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride,” he added.

McCullum admitted that he “can’t wait to get started” as he is looking forward to working alongside Stokes to take England towards greater success. “Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us,” McCullum said.

“I’d like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England’s Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on,” he added.

“I’ve enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I’m no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Meanwhile, when McCullum joins the England squad also depends on KKR’s fate at the IPL, with the league stage of the tournament set to run until May 22. KKR, who have two league games left, have an off chance of making it into the playoffs. The tournament concludes on May 29. England will host New Zealand for three Tests, scheduled at Lord’s (June 2-6), Nottingham (June 10-14) and Leeds (June 23-27).